Feb 11, 2016 A Section

Landmark The “new” Beeman school building is marking its diamond anniversary. See Page 12A.

Hoop rivalry

On the water

The Tiger girls entertained the Commodores on Monday looking to approach .500. See Page 1B.

Middlebury College students launched the Japanese-style boats they built. See Page 2A.

ADDISON COUNTY

INDEPENDENT Vol. 70 No. 6

Middlebury, Vermont

◆

Thursday, February 11, 2016 ◆

30 Pages

75¢

Estimates call for lower school taxes in most of ANwSU

By ANDY KIRKALDY VERGENNES — Residential school tax rates are now expected to drop in four out of five Addison Northwest Supervisory Union communities, according to new estimates released this week by ANwSU officials.

They revised their estimates — which are lower than those published in ANwSU annual town reports — after the Legislature agreed late in January to make changes to schoolfunding provisions in Act 46, Vermont’s new education law that also promotes school consolidation.

Combined elementary and Vergennes Union High School rates in Addison, Ferrisburgh, Panton and Vergennes will drop by between a fraction of a cent in Vergennes to

about 9 cents in Addison, according to the estimates.

Only Waltham will be looking at an increase, ANwSU officials said, and that is largely because its Common Level of Appraisal (CLA) is below 100 percent. Therefore, the town’s school rate must be adjusted upward. Other towns’ CLAs are higher than 100 percent and are lowering school rates.

CLA is a formula that adjusts the assessed value of property to bring it in line with fair market value; the goal is that property tax payers across Vermont pay taxes based on fairly assessed property.

Because state lawmakers acted to change Act 46 only after a lengthy debate on how and if to adjust the (See ANwSU, Page 13A)

New raw cheese rule could harm industry FDA backs off but does not rescind

By GAEN MURPHREE ADDISON COUNTY — A new U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulation that could severely limit production of raw milk cheeses has just been put on hold, but local cheesemakers aren’t out from under the shadow of the rule just yet.

“We believe this regulation, if it stays in effect, will have several million dollars in economic impact on Vermont cheesemakers, their workers and their dairy families serving their milk needs,” said Tom Bivins, executive director of the Vermont Cheese Council. “Some retail partners have told our members that they are questioning whether they should

be selling raw milk cheeses at all in this uncertain FDA environment.”

Among the local producers of cheese made with raw, unpasteurized milk are Blue Ledge Farm in Leicester, Fairy Tale Farm in Bridport and Twig Farm in Cornwall.

Late last year the FDA reduced the allowable measure of non-toxigenic E. coli in raw milk cheeses from what’s called a “most probable number” of 10,000 per gram to a new MPN standard of 10 per gram. The drastic change in standards affects raw milk cheeses made in the United States as well as those imported from abroad. But, after pushback from fed(See Cheese, Page 16A)

CHAMPLAIN VALLEY CHRISTIAN School fifth-grader Louis Provencher reacts with surprise upon learning his design won the Doodle 4 Google contest for the state of Vermont. Provencher learned of his win during a ceremony at his school last Friday morning.

Independent photo/Trent Campbell

Google’s search ends at local school Internet giant picks Addison 11-year-old’s artwork in national competition

By ANDY KIRKALDY VERGENNES — Eleven-year-old Addison resident Louis Provencher spent plenty of time this past weekend playing his favorite video games, including “Clash of the Clans.”

It was a little more fun than usual because he could load the games on his brand-new computer tablet, which he got on Friday from Google.

That’s right, representatives from the Internet behemoth on Friday morning surprised Provencher in a schoolwide assembly at the Champlain Valley Christian School in Vergennes.

Provencher learned then that his

LOUIS PROVENCHER’S WINNING Google doodle incorporated photographs taken in Addison’s DAR State Park.

work “Nature Walk at D.A.R. Park” had been selected Vermont winner of the eighth annual Doodle 4 Google

As city works on truck bypass, area towns question proposal

124 grads ski to their rewards – a diploma MIDDLEBURY/HANCOCK — Surrounded by cheering throngs of family and friends, 124 Middlebury College seniors celebrated the completion of their undergraduate careers on Saturday, Feb. 6, at Mead Chapel.

Middlebury’s “Febs” — so called because the majority of them started their college education here in February 2012 — will earn their official bachelor of arts degrees on March 1. But this past weekend the college held several events to celebrate the graduates’ achievements.

President Laurie Patton, presiding at her first Feb Celebration, wove a lyrical homage to the seniors, opening and closing her talk with the Mary Oliver poem, “Starlings in Winter.” Drawing on the language and imagery of the poem throughout her address, she said the poem evoked the inspiration that comes from “colder sunlight and long hours in the dark.”

“As you gather here with your families, your friends, your professors, your advisors as witnesses to all your hard work over the past four years,” Patton said, “I want to tell you: There isn’t a line in this poem that doesn’t remind me of all the things that you are.”

Patton pointed out many accomplishments of the 2015.5 (See Grads, Page 14A)

competition. In the contest, around 100,000 K-12 students across the country created their own Google

“doodle” — the colorful renderings of the Google name on the Internet search engine’s home page.

Officials from Provencher’s school had been keeping the secret for three weeks, and Provencher said he was stunned that his series of photos spelling the company’s name had won.

“I’m like, what are the chances of that? There are tons of people out there, tons of people. When they said my name, I’m like, what the?”

Provencher said. “I was like, confused, happy, and I have no clue.”

(See Google, Page 13A)

By ANDY KIRKALDY VERGENNES — With a Town Meeting Day vote set in Vergennes to see whether city residents would support a measure to re-route half the truck traffic that rolls through their downtown, selectboards of the towns that would host those trucks are expressing early opposition.

The Vergennes City Council in December backed a measure asking the Agency of Transportation to explore re-routing northbound truck traffic on Route 22A. Instead it would direct trucks on to Route 17 in Addison and send them eastbound through Waltham to New Haven Junction, where they would continue north on Route 7 through New Haven, Waltham and Ferris-

burgh toward Chittenden County.

Currently, trucks — 800 a day — head north on Route 22A through Vergennes to meet Route 7 in Ferrisburgh just north of the city.

Vergennes Mayor Bill Benton backs studying the proposal for reasons that include pedestrian safety, the integrity of historic structures in downtown Vergennes, avoidance of hazardous material spills in a crowded area, enhancing the atmosphere in the downtown, allowing the city to put in traffic signals at a busy intersection near the bridge over Otter Creek, and the difficulty trucks have negotiating the steep slope entering downtown from the bridge.

Benton met with VTrans Deputy (See Bypass, Page 15A)

By the way The Bridport Central School Board will host two community forums to explain the Addison Central Supervisory Union school governance consolidation proposal that residents will vote on on Town Meeting Day. The first meeting will be next Wednesday, Feb. 17,

at the town shed beginning at 6:30 p.m. A second meeting is slated for Saturday, Feb. 20, at the town hall at 10 a.m. Residents are encouraged to bring their questions.

One Addison County youth and (See By the way, Page 13A)

Index MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE CELEBRATED the graduation of 124 “Feb” students during ceremonies on Saturday. The traditional ski down celebration saw these two graduates — and most of their classmates — ski, snowboard and walk down the Lang trail at the Snow Bowl dressed in their academic regalia.

Courtesy photo by Todd Balfour

Obituaries ................................ 6A Classifieds ....................... 6B-10B Service Directory .............. 7B-8B Entertainment ........................ 12A Community Calendar ...... 8A-10A

Sports ................................ 1B-4B

PAGE 2A — Addison Independent, Thursday, February 11, 2016

Five vie for two spots on New Haven board Two selectboard members seek to return

By GAEN MURPHREE NEW HAVEN — Both of the New Haven selectboard incumbents who are running for re-election will face challengers on Town Meeting Day. Kathleen Barrett, currently chair of the selectboard, will stand for a three-year seat against New Haven Planning Commission member Dan Monger. Selectboard member Carole Hall is running against Bridget Kipp and John Roleau for a twoyear seat.

Meanwhile, Ed McGuire is running unopposed for re-election to his three-year seat as a Beeman school director.

All of the selectboard candidates brought up energy projects — solar and otherwise — as important reasons they are running. The proposed Vermont Green Line project was a recurring issue. The project, put forward by Anbaric Transmission, would bring wind and hydro power from upstate New York into the New England grid at the New Haven VELCO substation, and would include, in New Haven, a power converter station five stories high and the size of a football field.

CHAIR VS. CHALLENGER Two candidates are vying for a three-year seat on the New Haven

Launch SIXTEEN MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE students built a traditional Japanese boat under the guidance of Vergennes boatbuilder Douglas Brooks during his January Term class.

The boat was launched in the college swimming pool after a short ceremony last Friday afternoon and the students took turns piloting and riding in the boat in the deep end of the pool.

selectboard.

Incumbent selectboard chair Kathleen Barrett, 65, is a self-employed tax preparer and bookkeeper who has lived in New Haven her whole life, with the exception of a decade in Bridport. Barrett was appointed to the board in 2009, when Keith Hall resigned; she won the seat in election 2010 and 2013. Barrett has been chair since 2013. In addition, she is currently vice chair of the Development Review Board.

Previously, Barrett served a threeyear term as town auditor and was on the Mount Abraham Union High School board for 15 years, several of those as chair.

“One of the things that I’ve always believed in is that we as citizens of the town are here to serve the town and not for the town to serve us,” said Barrett. “I decided to run because I care about this town, and I care about the direction that it’s going. I’ve lived in Addison County since 1959 and most of it has been in New Haven. So the town has a special place in my heart, and I just want to have input into its direction.”

Barrett said that she approaches the office of selectboard with “no specific agenda,” and that she be(See New Haven, Page 3A)

New OVUU district towns to face first budget votes

Independent photos/Trent Campbell

By LEE J. KAHRS ter Valley Union High School plus BRANDON — Voters in the eight elementary schools in six towns; towns in the Rutland Northeast Su- Goshen and Mendon do not have pervisory Union school district will their own schools) all rolled into see three school budgets on their up- one $22,604,806 spending plan. coming town meeting warnings, but It should be noted that none of the it is likely that the vote on only one schools’ proposed budgets rose of those budgets will count. enough to trigger the state penalty That’s because those voters last for going over allowable growth month approved the new Otter Valley spending guidelines, even before the Unified Union School District under Legislature recently raised that cap the Act 46 school consolidation law, by .9 percent. but the towns warned school budgets As long as the OVUU budget under both the old system and the passes on Town Meeting Day, the new one since that vote could still be other budgets are irrelevant, but they petitioned for reconsideration. had to be represented on the ballot A Jan. 19 election created a new because of the reconsideration peside-by-side school district, com- riod. prised of the OVUU RNeSU Business Mantowns of Brandon, Gos- “We are the ager Brenda Fleming in hen, Leicester, Whiting, a meeting Monday acSudbury and Pittsford first and only knowledged that area votand the Barstow District side-by-side ers are entering new territowns of Chittenden and school district tory, and that the district, Mendon. for all intents and purin the state, Under Vermont law, so we’re kind poses, is reinventing the there is a 30-day reconwheel. of paving the proverbial sideration period from “We are the first and the date of the vote. A way.” only side-by-side school — Brenda district in the state, so petition can be submitFleming we’re kind of paving the ted containing signatures from between 5 to 20 perway,” she said. “On Feb. cent of a town’s voting population 19 when we take our first breath and (20 percent is required in Brandon, have our birth certificate signed by other towns may require fewer sig- the Agency of Education, we can renatures) to rescind or reconsider the ally begin.” passing vote.

After Feb. 19, when the 30-day Therefore, RNeSU residents will reconsideration window expires, see three school budgets on the town there will be a district reorganization meeting ballot: their town school meeting of the OVUU and Barstow budget, the Otter Valley Union High districts, with opening remarks by School budget, and the new, over- Agency of Education Secretary arching OVUU budget.

Rebecca Holcombe. The district Residents in Leicester, Brandon, boards will elect a moderator, a Pittsford and Chittenden will vote by treasurer and a clerk. Town clerks Australian ballot; voters in the towns will then swear in the OVUU and of Goshen, Whiting, Sudbury and Barstow boards, which will then Mendon will all vote from the floor elect a board chair and board clerk. of their respective town meetings.

They will establish a meeting The OVUU budget represents schedule and adopt a newspaper of a commingling of budgets from record where district public notices each of the seven schools (Ot(See OVUU, Page 3A)

Addison Independent, Thursday, February 11, 2016 — PAGE 3A

New Haven (Continued from Page 2A) ing within the community at a time lieves her strengths include her when townspeople need to come long history with the town, her level together.

Monger is also concerned about headedness and open mindedness.

Barrett noted that the town has the negative impact that the project faced a lot of decisions about re- could have on local property values newable energy projects during her and would want to insist that all time on the selectboard. And she property owners “be made whole.” takes very seriously, the magni- A THREE-WAY RACE Three candidates are vying for a tude of the decision the town must two-year seat on the make about Anbaric New Haven selectTransmission’s proboard: Carol Hall, posed converter staJohn Roleau and tion.

Bridget Kipp.

“As far as AnbarIncumbent Carole ic, I am still listening Hall, 60, has been to their proposals on the selectboard and listening to what since 2014. Hall they have to say,” said that she first she said. “I have not ran for office bemade up my mind cause “I wanted to one way or the othget to know people er. There are good better and I wanted things about it, and to serve the town.” there are definitely Hall has lived in bad things about it.

New Haven for over At this point, I still 20 years and works have an open mind.”

HALL as an outreach Barrett continued, “I understand that people are very worker at the Parent-Child Center, concerned about the Anbaric proj- in Middlebury.

Hall is one of two selectboard ect. It changes every time you talk with them, and we’re negotiating members appointed as negotiators with them. I have to trust the nego- in the town’s ongoing discussions tiation team to look out for the best with Anbaric Transmissions, the interest of the town and then decide other being Steve Dupoise. She said when they come back with some- that a large part of her decision to run again in 2016 was to be able to thing, whether it’s enough or not.”

She noted that the town has other follow through on the work that she important decisions ahead in terms and Dupoise are doing as the Anbarof maintaining its infrastructure. ic point persons on the selectboard.

Barrett pointed to the upkeep in She noted that she and Dupoise recent years to the town hall, new work well as a team and that both flooring, insulation, lighting and have already invested a lot of time sheet rock. And she said that the in working on the project.

“Across the board with people, town garage and fire station building has some repair issues that need I really care about our town,” said to be addressed soon. Barrett said it Hall, discussing the front seat that was also important to make sure the the Anbaric project has taken on the town’s roads are well maintained. selectboard’s agenda. “I really care Additionally, New Haven will need about the landowners. I think it’s to approve a revised town plan in important that whatever happens — 2016. Barrett said that the planning whether the project happens or not commission was still at work on re- — it needs to be as well done as vising the plan, to be followed by possible. It’s a huge project and it’s public hearings and possibly more going to impact our whole commurevisions, before going to a town nity in one way or another.

“We’re doing a lot of digging vote.

Dan Monger is also running for the three-year seat on the selectboard. He was elected to the planning commission in 2015. He plans to hold both offices if elected.

Though many know Monger as a local mail carrier, he originally trained in biochemistry (he holds a Ph.D. from Rice University) and worked for years in the pharmaceutical industry before moving to Vermont. Monger believes that this training as a logical and scientific problem solver, together with his expertise in decoding scientific data could be important assets for the selectboard, given the proliferation of renewable energy projects that New Haven has been asked to approve and evaluate.

Monger said he was originally spurred to join the planning commission because of the volume of solar projects “inundating New Haven.”

As with most of the other candidates, Monger acknowledges that the proposed Anbaric Transmission converter station “is where a lot of the tension is right now” and that decisions about the energy grid necessarily will be taking a lot of any new selectboard member’s time.

In terms of the proposed Vermont Green Line, important to Monger are issues around sound and light mitigation, health and medical issues potentially associated with electromotive force, and aesthetics. Monger also believes that’s it is important for the process to be honest and straightforward and that the decision-making process move forward constructively. He is concerned that factions are develop-

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right now for more and more infor“I want to make sure that the mation so that we’ll be able to pass little guy gets attention too,” said on even more to the townspeople Roleau. so that they’ll have a better idea of While he acknowledges that what is going on and whether they the “the biggest issue that is on really support this or not.” everybody’s table right now is Hall also noted her professional the Anbaric project,” Roleau also experience in human resources and thinks it’s important to keep a fofelt that that could be an asset for cus on bread and butter issues. He the town in hiring and working with stressed that culverts and paving employees. Hall ran jobs, road projects her own franchise and road budgets, in Maine, and has are important to worked in HR at keep in the foreAutumn Harp and at front as the town the Vermont Coffee wrestles with large Company as well as projects, such as the as a consultant. proposed converter Hall also said that station. protecting the enviRoleau’s family ronment was imporhas a small farm tant to her as a se— he sells hay and lectboard member. raises beef cattle on “I really care about a small scale — and the impact to the he believes that it’s environment with important to preany of these projects serve agriculture.

— whether it’s solar An avid fisherman, ROLEAU or Anbaric — I feel Roleau is also conthat it’s really important that we cerned about the pollution issues take care of our environment. If we facing Lake Champlain. don’t have that we’re not going to Roleau feels a sense of pride in have a place to live.” the town and a desire to take on Finally, Hall said that it was re- more responsibility in contributing ally great that there were so many to the town’s governance. citizens choosing to run for select“I think that this Anbaric project board in this year’s elections. has really stirred some people up “I think it’s wonderful for people to run to make sure their voice is to be involved in their towns and in heard and that’s totally fine,” he town government to whatever ca- said. “But once the Anbaric thing pacity they can,” he said. “So I’m passes and goes on, then what? really thrilled that there are other I’m not running on an agenda, I’m people running.” completely open. I’m running on John Roleau, 39, is running for tradition. I feel like I’ve learned elected office for the first time but enough in the business world and considers himself part of a long- in the town world that I have somestanding tradition of family service thing to offer the town in making to the community. The Roleau fam- some pretty important decisions. ily’s roots run deep in New Haven, That being said, I’m not going into and if elected, Roleau would be it to try and change anything or try the third generation in his family and stop anything. I want to hear to serve on the New Haven select- all sides on all issues and try and board. do the best for the town.”

Roleau took over the family busiCandidate Bridget Kipp deness, Packard of Vermont, in 2007, clined an opportunity to appear in and among his top priorities are this story. supporting small businesses so that Reporter Gaen Murphree is at they can be successful. gaenm@addisonindependent.com.

Special Early

No contested races on Monkton ballot

By GAEN MURPHREE MONKTON — There will be no contested races in Monkton on Town Meeting Day. On the selectboard, Selectman Roger Parker is running again for a three-year seat, and incumbent Henry Boisse is running again for a twoyear seat.

All candidates for the Monkton Central School board are also unchallenged incumbents. Robert Radler is up for a three-year term; and both Marikate Kelley and Sarah Rougier are running again for oneyear terms.

Dawn Griswold, chair of the Mount Abraham Union High School board, is running unchallenged for a second three-year term on the Mount Abe board. She first came on the board in 2013.

Otto Funke, who was appointed to the Mount Abe board to replace

OVUU (Continued from Page 2A) and warnings will appear.

NEW DISTRICT July 1 On July 1, individual school districts in the six OVUU towns and two Barstow towns will no longer be responsible for their local schools.

Holcombe will certify the formation of the new side-by-side district. All new accounts will be created and the district treasurer and OVUU will start disbursing education funds.

“They do offer a separation of duties, which is important to me,” Fleming said of the new financial structure. “The new treasurer will be responsible for disbursing funds after the board has approved them. I’m just the paper person.”

She emphasized, though, that principals of individual schools will

still be largely responsible for their respective school’s budget, working with Superintendent Jeanne Collins and Fleming to build those spending plans and present them to the OVUU board.

“We want the board members to know the principals and build that trust,” Fleming said.

Overall, Fleming was complimentary of the Agency of Education and Commissioner Holcombe’s leadership in shepherding the new Act 46 school consolidation law and working with RNeSU to make it work.

“I have to commend the Agency of Education,” she said. “They worked really hard and created a system that can be duplicated as other supervisory union district proposals come through.”

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Shawna Sherwin after she resigned in October 2015, is running to finish up the remaining two years of Sherwin’s original term.

Monkton has a few spots still blank on the ballot, including a three-year library trustee position, as well as the offices of grand juror, town agent to defend and prosecute, and town agent to deed real estate. Write-in votes can be cast for those offices.

Monkton will hold its town meeting Saturday, Feb. 27, at the Monkton Central School, starting at 10 a.m. Voting by Australian ballot will take place Tuesday, March 1, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Monkton Fire Station. Monkton Town Clerk Sharon Gomez encourages voters to make note of the change of venue for this year’s voting by Australian ballot on Town Meeting Day. Reporter Gaen Murphree is at gaenm@addisonindependent.com.

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PAGE 4A — Addison Independent, Thursday, February 11, 2016

A DDIS ON INDE P E NDEN T

Letters

Editorials

to the Editor

Broadening Bernie’s message NPR posted two telling photos of the winning presidential candidates in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary. Democrat Bernie Sanders was pictured with his right arm held high overhead with a clinched fist, lips closed tight and a determined look that the fight he has fought his entire life had begun on a national level. It was not a look that reflected triumph, but rather a realization that he had earned the chance to pursue his sense of economic justice on a national stage.

Trump was shown with a smug smile, a half-hearted wave of recognition from an adoring audience, and a look of condescending indifference. (See here: http://www.npr.org/2016/02/09/466210908/new-hampshire-primarythe-polls-begin-to-close.) It’s a split second in time and one shouldn’t put much emphasis on photographic expressions, but the contrast serves as a metaphor of these primaries and of the two political parties. ********** Sanders won the New Hampshire primary in an unexpected landslide, 60 to 38 percent. That’s huge considering New Hampshire was supposed to be Clinton territory and nine months ago, she had an overwhelming lead there, a full campaign operation and was a known candidate in every household. That New Hampshire voters rejected her in huge numbers, including women by an unexpected majority, is troubling news for Clinton’s campaign.

That Sanders won by 22 percentage points is evidence that his message resonates. That message, overwhelmingly, is about income inequality; about needing to change a system rigged to favor the rich over the poor and middle class; about a political system that is bought by the wealthiest few and beholden to them; about racial and social justice; and about economic fairness and making the American Dream a reality for the average citizen.

What the Sanders’ campaign is highlighting is the deep injustice middle class Americans are feeling about the inequality of wealth. It is a resentment that may have reached a tipping point.

Clinton is seen as part of the 1 percent, and as a candidate who would not do enough to change that dynamic. Ditto the entire Republican slate.

But Sanders is more than a single-issue candidate. He also has the strongest position on addressing climate change; like Trump he would not support the Trans-Pacific Partnership and would do whatever he could to protect U.S. jobs from going overseas; he wants to provide free college education to every American student who is serious about pursuing higher education; and he considers health care a human right and would press to implement universal health care.

His recent debate on foreign policy exposes a weakness, but no more so than any of the Republican candidates. Indeed, Trump has absolutely no experience in foreign affairs, governmental policy or working within any institution that requires compromise. Experience in foreign policy affairs also eludes the rest of the Republican field. They talk tough, but none have experience.

Sen. Sanders, on the other hand, has served as mayor of Vermont’s largest city and logged impressive accomplishments as a progressive socialist serving with a Democratic city council; in the U.S. House of Representatives, he served admirably (and accomplished far more than his detractors ever imagined) in a House often led by conservative Republicans; once elected to the U.S. Senate as an Independent, he has risen in stature among Democrats (with whom he caucuses). He has, in other words, demonstrated that he knows how to compromise to get things done. He would need a strong team on defense and in foreign affairs, but that is why presidents have a cabinet with strong secretaries of state and defense. ********* The crucial question facing Sen. Sanders today, however, is where does he go from here? Will he fare as well in Nevada and South Carolina and on Super Tuesday with the same message?

Yes and no.

Yes, in that his message of change and revolution strikes a populist chord with all Americans. No, in that a large part of America does not agree with Bernie’s socialistic vision of “giving” help to Americans who don’t earn it.

There was truth in Trump’s victory speech in New Hampshire when he said, in effect: ‘Bernie wants to give America away (to those who don’t deserve it), but we (the Trump campaign) want to make America great again the old fashioned way… by earning it’ — it’s a vintage TV cliché from, whom else, Smith Barney and Wall Street in the 1980s.

What’s Bernie’s response? He needs to redefine capitalism to reflect his economic values of fairness and equality. Capitalism, if done well, stimulates the economy, provokes innovation, challenges convention and displaces fading institutions with dynamic forces. Bernie’s brand of democratic socialism needs to embrace that energy in a way that spreads the wealth. And he needs to embrace capitalism’s creative-destruction as the proper path to promote constant change and evolution.

Economists have long recognized the limitations and benefits of capitalism and socialism. Economies like Germany’s, Norway’s and Sweden’s, to name a few, have gone a long way to embrace the benefits of both.

Sanders needs to make that leap. He needs to advance his democratic socialist agenda in a way that is seen as not just progressive, but economically dynamic. He needs to show that his vision would grow America’s economy and make the country wealthier; and not just for the poor and the middle class, but also for business owners and corporations. If he is to win enough states in the South and Midwest to be successful, his economic platform needs to move beyond the country’ outdated notions of socialism to understanding how capitalism can work for everyone.

The idea is not far-fetched. There was a time in this country after WWII in which the wage gaps between the wealthiest 10 percent and the poorest 30 percent were not that far apart. There was a time where the average American could see a way to realize the American Dream, to graduate from college without a mountain of debt, get a good job, buy a house and enjoy a family life that was comfortable and secure. That is not as true today.

Bernie’s campaign should work to make that dream a reality.

If he can articulate that vision in a realistic framework, he’ll have a shot at capturing the nation’s imagination and its heart, which is a reasonable path to the presidency in a campaign fraught with so many unknowns.

Angelo S. Lynn

ADDISON COUNTY

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Letter on energy a nice summary My compliments to Mr. Kelly for his Feb. 4 letter, “Use Act 250 for energy projects.”

Solar array use, placement, support services and hazards present many challenges to this “green” energy program. Mr. Kelly researched the subject (i.e., did his homework) and presented his case with credible, verifiable facts in a meaningful and comprehensive format. His approach serves as an excellent model for assessing the value and impact of other “green” projects and programs here in Vermont; e.g., wind turbine siting.

Beyond Vermont? Rather than “green” bias political solutions, comprehensive factual and scientific approaches are required in order to address these critical programs; e.g.: manmade global warming, nuclear power, oil investment divestiture.

Martin Frankie Middlebury

AG unfairly goes after advocate

Barn backside SHADOWS FALL ACROSS the back of a shed at Happy Valley Orchard in Middlebury.

Independent photo/Trent Campbell

This old house …California-style About nine months ago, my husband (an economics professor at Middlebury College) and I decided to start looking for a place to live during our sabbatical in Berkeley, Calif. Sitting at home in Vermont, we assumed it would be no problem to find a furnished rental home for a family with four young children and a dog, within walking distance of UC Berkeley, on an assistant professor’s salary.

The first thing to go was the dog.

It quickly became clear that four children were four strikes against us; our dog would be a deal-breaker, and would have to stay in Vermont.

By Faith The next thing to go was our budGong get, which turned out to be unrealistically low for most two-bedroom houses within the Berkeley city limits. Our upper limit edged higher, then higher still.

Several times, we thought we’d found “the one.” But multiple rentals slipped through our fingers, usually with landlords making excuses after we mentioned the children.

By late July, we were losing hope. Then my husband found an online listing for a two-bedroom house, walking distance to campus, at the uppermost limit of our budget. Without much optimism, he sent off an inquiry.

The email we got back read something like this: “Four children! How great! I’m the youngest of four myself, and we have two young children and live right next door.

We’d love to have your family!”

That’s how we found our house.

Our Berkeley house is on the north side of the UC Berkeley campus. North Berkeley is called the “Gourmet Ghetto” due to its status as the birthplace of California cuisine: The business district along Shattuck Avenue features Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse restaurant, the original Peet’s Coffee, and the Cheese Board Collective.

To visit us, drive uphill from the Gourmet Ghetto. Keep going up. And up.

The city of Berkeley is slanted, plunging from the Berkeley Hills to the San Francisco Bay. Our house sits mid-slope, on the corner of Cedar and Euclid — a corner so steep that someone in Public Works decided navigating it would require two sets of stairs in the sidewalk at our corner.

The house is a semi-detached, two-story wooden structure, painted dark brown. Our landlords, Jake and Keturah and their two children (who are as wonderful as their initial email indicated) live next door; the two houses are connected by two garage bays. Both houses were built in 1939, which doesn’t seem old by East Coast standards, but does seem old if nothing’s been updated since 1939.

When you enter our house (which takes about five minutes, because the door lock hasn’t been updated since 1939), you might notice the smell. It’s a smell that (See Clippings, Page 5A)

Clippings

Remedies for snow-starved skiers Mad River Glen is famous for its “Ski It If You Can” “ski with care” because “thin cover exists on trail edges.” slogan.

In case you were wondering, “thin cover” is a eupheBut in a winter like this one, what’s a skier to do if — mism for “bare ground.” ski it, you can’t?

Après le deluge, Mad River took a big hit. That ski area Despite a bit of white stuff this week, we suffers mightily in winters like this one, beare in the grip of one of the warmest winters cause it lacks much snowmaking and has in memory, due in part to climate change and the quaint belief that skiing should involve El Niño. So while Colorado skiers are experiactual real snow. encing Powder Nirvana, we have so far been So while Mad River’s ever-entertaining consigned to a Vermont “winter” that resemmarketing director, Eric Friedman, was bles nothing so much as Georgia in January. wishfully touting MRG as “the Revenant of There haven’t yet been reports of skiers ski areas,” even Friedman had to confess on jumping off buildings onto bare sidewalks, Tuesday: “Despite the new snow, we have but you’ve gotta wonder when it’s ever gonna been forced to suspend operations again snow again. during the midweek period.”

And by snow I mean not the two inches that Most New England mountain resorts fell Monday night. I mean — you know, snow. have closed any trail that doesn’t have The kind they get in Baltimore and Boston. snowmaking. And even many of the steeper The kind that makes it worth getting up at trails with snowmaking now resemble semi6 a.m. to drive up the mountain in a white-out vertical skating rinks. so you can be on the first chair at 8. Enough Absent the rare phenomenon of a decent so that there are still fresh tracks after lunch, snowfall, I offer here a few alternative acand plenty more in the woods a day or two by Gregory Dennis tivities for skiers and boarders. (And a calater. veat: I had to meet a Tuesday deadline, so if Sure, the snowmaking at the Snow Bowl you’re reading this on Friday and it’s been and Sugarbush is excellent. So we’ve been able for the snowing all week, have pity on a columnist forced to past few weeks to slide down something resembling the obey Father Time. And besides, I try not to let reality real thing. interfere with a column idea.)

But even the best snowmaking can only do so much So, my fellow skiers, assuming conditions remain well when Mother Nature throws 24 hours of heavy rain at short of excellent I suggest you consider the following: you.

• Practice your golf game. After all, people were comIn the aftermath of last week’s wipeout, the daily re- peting for local tee times the week before Christmas. So port from Sugarbush this week was warning people to (See Dennis, Page 5A)

Between The Lines

Concerning the recent story and editorial about Annette Smith: It doesn’t take a lawyer to understand that the politically motivated attack on Annette Smith stinks.

They confuse advocacy with legal advice. The permitting system, which governs pretty much everything that gets publicly built, has become so technical and legalistic that average citizens are at a distinct disadvantage without an advocate.

But bullying and intimidation are shameful tactics, and a sure sign of the weakness of the argument by those making the attack. The accusations leveled at Annette are not fair or accurate, and threaten the rights of us all.

I will strongly urge the Vermont attorney general’s office to stop wasting their time — and our resources — on this attempt to silence legitimate speech. Let the issues before the Public Service Board be decided on their merits, not on a cheap shot at a brave and dedicated advocate.

Tom Keefe West Cornwall

Use drawbridges to solve problem I’ve just read the Feb. 8 article about VTrans and the Middlebury rail bridge problems. I travel through the Middlebury downtown, and do business there on a daily basis. I agree that a lengthy closure would be disastrous. I think the person who wrote in a few weeks ago had the best idea. I think using a pair of drawbridges in downtown Middlebury is the way to go for a truly long-term solution.

Using drawbridges would completely change the construction plans — and possibly simplify them. Two drawbridges would solve the current problem of clearance, and also allow the town to accommodate trains of any height that may be coming along in the future.

Drawbridges would then make our tax money well spent by meeting any long-term plans for the western Vermont rail corridor and reduce the need for future bridge work — and impacts — in the Middlebury downtown business district.

John S. Travis Whiting

RNs invaluable, but shift needed I value and respect Registered Nurses (RNs).

My grandmother was a nurse at a school for the deaf for many years while raising seven children. I admired her immensely and she had a significant influence on my decision to go into the medical field.

At Porter Medical Center we rely on RNs for their critical thinking, leadership and problem-solving skills. They are expected to possess a broad base of knowledge, including humanities, social sciences and data analysis as well as specific clinical skills. Their responsibilities include direct and acute patient care, advanced cardiac life support skills and case management. They are an integral part of the clinical team’s care planning for our patients, and help ensure that our patients get the best care possible.

(See Letter, Page 5A)

Addison Independent, Thursday, February 11, 2016 — PAGE 5A

Time for GOP to coalesce around serious candidate I have just learned something that concerns me greatly. I found out that if only one Republican presidential candidate gets 20 percent of the votes in Vermont, then that candidate gets all the delegates. True that Vermont has only 16 delegates, but who knows, that could make a difference.

Especially if other states have similar rules.

I can easily think of a scenario where 79 percent of the voters think that a certain candidate is a buffoon, idiot, clown, pick your adjective, and he gets elected by just over 20 percent of voters, which could lead to disastrous results in a general election.

I think that the Republican field may be the strongest ever and

certainly the strongest of my lifetime. But with so many qualified candidates in the race votes could be split evenly and the last choice of almost 80 percent of voters could win.

I know I would feel horrible and be ashamed of Vermont if we helped to elect a clown and potentially destroy not only the party but the nation if we get four more years of the wrong person in the White House. I would never tell someone to vote against your beliefs but I suggest that we find a way to not support the candidate that most Republicans think is at best not a serious candidate. I think we must find a way to communicate and agree to coalesce around a qualified, serious candidate.

I have my own favorite that I am convinced is the best, but with the field as strong as it is I would vote for at least five other candidates that are still in the race that would make great presidents, especially if it meant not electing a buffoon to represent our party. I think that most Republican primary voters feel the same way.

If this also concerns you, and you can think of a way for a larger group to communicate, please contact me at bryanearljones@ hotmail.com. I have emailed this message to all of the party’s county chairs to also start the discussion.

The primary is March 1 so we don’t have much time.

Bryan Jones Salisbury

Letter (Continued from Page 4A) I have been a family doctor at Neshobe Family Medicine for the last 17 years. We could not function without an RN. Our current RN, Jerri Ellis, is amazing. She oversees our clinical team of LPNs and MAs (medical assistants) with maturity and clarity. Because we are an ambulatory patient care clinic with less acute needs than the Emergency Room, Helen Porter or the hospital, we find that our one RN can adequately and safely provide the RN skills we need for our patients.

Additionally, Lisa Rovi, MA, has worked beside me for the last 16 years, keeps my clinic rolling, and reports to Jerri. My patients know

and love her.

Porter Medical Center is in a state of transition, as has been openly published, taking necessary steps to ensure responsible stewardship of our resources. As we review all aspects of our finances and staffing, while sustaining our patient care mission, we realized that we have over-staffed some of our offices with RNs based on the actual RN work needed in a nonacute setting.

At the same time, we have more RN positions available in our acute care settings, and prefer to fill these positions with nurses we already know and respect rather than hire traveling nurses. We are happy to

have these positions available for any displaced office setting RN and hope they will consider continuing to work for Porter in the hospital or nursing home.

If you know an RN in our community, please thank him or her for the hard work and dedication they provide to our patients. I wish it to be known that we DO need them and respect them, and hope that in our need to restructure our organization, they will shift with us in our efforts to stabilize our financial situation and recommit to helping us fulfill our mission.

Dr. Carrie Wulfman Chief Medical Officer Porter Medical Center

really good right now at Wachusett.

• Buddhists say it’s calming to chant “om.” Except in this case, chant “s-n-o-o-o-w-w.”

• Get on YouTube and watch endless clips of people skiing deep powder. Warning: While this may temporarily ease symptoms for some skiers, it has been known to send others into such a deep tailspin that they immediately blow their bank account by buying a plane ticket to Aspen.

• Buy a plane ticket to Aspen.

Your bank account will recover.

And if all else fails, spend a few minutes contemplating what the slopes will be like if Vermont decides to legalize marijuana.

“Supporters are definitely playing the cannabis-tourism thing up big, playing off the microbrewery example,” the Vermont Ski Areas Association’s Parker Riehle told SkiNet. com. “It’s possible that it’s the next new niche that plays into Vermont’s localvore, agriconomy thing.”

It should be noted that Riehle also said: “We’d want to stress to moms, in particular, who make a lot of the family vacation decisions, that they’re not going to walk into a cloud of pot smoke if they come to Vermont.”

Just in case you were worried about those pot smoke clouds.

But really, in this paltry winter our imaginations can run wild.

As MRG’s Freidman said when SkiNet.com asked about legalization, “Can you imagine Mad Riverbranded weed? ‘Smoke It if You Can’? I’m having a field day with the possibilities.”

And one more suggestion. If things get really bad and the snow has evaporated a week from now, you can always go out and mow the lawn.

Greg Dennis’s column appears here every other Thursday and is archived on his blog at www.gregdennis.wordpress.com. Email: gregdennisvt@yahoo.com. Twitter: @ greengregdennis.

Dennis (Continued from Page 4A) the course could open up again any day now.

• Organize a cookout on your patio. Why wait until August when conditions are so promising right now?

• Tote up the savings on your heating bill. Unless you were unlucky enough to be one of us who did the pre-buy at a much higher price than the current one, you’re saving a bundle on heat. Put it in your piggy bank and use it to pay for next winter’s season pass. (Hope springs eternal within the skier’s breast.)

• Be honest: Couldn’t your closets use a good cleaning?

• Bernie or Hillary? Debate endlessly.

• Take a nice long walk in the woods. No bugs! And none of that pesky white stuff to get in the way.

• Try out all those new soup recipes.

• Knit one, purl two.

• Drive south. I hear the skiing is

Clippings (Continued from Page 4A) evokes every house we’ve ever inhabited in Berkeley, and that we’ve only ever smelled in Berkeley: a sort of musty eucalyptus odor.

The next thing you might notice is that, even if the sun is shining warmly outside, you feel cold inside. Sitting at our dining table, you might even feel a breeze. This is another peculiarity of every Berkeley home in which we’ve lived: they were constructed without insulation, and with single-paned windows. It’s as if the early 20th-century builders in this area mistakenly assumed they were in Southern California. And the Bay Area is not Southern California: At the moment, high temperatures range from 50-60 degrees F, and dip into the 40s at night.

Once inside our house, it’s impossible to forget that you’re perched on a steep hill. You entered at ground level, but take 10 steps from the front door through a narrow hallway and into the living room, and look out the window: you’re 15 feet off the ground. Take a few more steps to the next window, and you’re suddenly five feet higher.

Our living room is the best room in the house: It’s bright and open, with five big windows. From our living room windows we can see the University of California’s Sather Campanile to the south, and the San Francisco skyline and Golden Gate Bridge to the west. One corner of the living room is set up as a classroom in which I’m homeschooling our two oldest daughters (more on that later.)

Our dining table is squished between the living room and the kitchen. The small kitchen, aside from the refrigerator and the stove, hasn’t been updated since 1939. It has the original white wood cabinets, including one with a screened door opening onto the street that used to let in the milk bottles, but now only

Letters to the Editor Nature is doing its best to tell us about global warming In the Near Future During the next twenty years, the following sequence becomes increasingly possible.

Winters become warmer, and thus cold dry snow turns to wet snow, Which turns to a mix of rain and snow falling on the Green Mountains of Vermont.

The snow of a normal winter sits on the mountain until spring.

The rain of a warming winter runs down the mountain In streams that are swollen in February.

After a normal winter, snowmelt during the springtime Waters the land below the mountain.

Wetlands, like a great sponge, hold part of that water, keeping it for summer.

After a warming winter, most of the rain and early melting snow Has already washed down from the mountain, Leaving only a small percentage of normal winter precipitation To water the land below the mountain.

To water the farms, to water the great rolling forests, To keep the ponds and lakes full, to keep the wells full, Through June, and July, and August.

If a warm winter is followed by a hot summer, with little rain, So that by August, people are speaking about the “drought,” Then the soil of the farms becomes parched, The soil of the forest becomes parched, The wetlands become parched, And the ponds become bowls of mud.

Now in early September, a storm front is approaching from the west, With thunderclouds, with rain!

People stand outside, facing the growing damp wind, facing the first cold drops, Greeting the full downpour with cheers.

But the rain is only one feature of the flashing thunderheads.

Bolts of lightning stab down at the tinder-dry forests, Reaching deep into the floor of pine needles and rotted maple leaves and twigs.

Within an hour of the storm’s arrival, Hundreds of fires are burning in every corner of Vermont.

And Pennsylvania and New York and New Jersey And New Hampshire and Massachusetts and Maine And a huge swath of southern Canada.

During that same hot summer, that same blazing autumn

The news media may well carry the story that the polar ice cap Which has been melting during the past several decades, Has now entirely vanished.

So my question to you today is, In our schools — grade school, high school, community college, college, university — Do the students know what is coming?

Have the schools developed courses — entirely new, innovative courses — Which present “Climate Change: the Problem” in the autumn semester, And then “Clean Energy: the Solution” in the spring semester?

Full, serious courses, during which the students do their own extensive research.

Guest lecturers, such as sugar maple farmers, clean energy entrepreneurs, Town mayors, professors of clean energy engineering, organic gardeners, And a meteorologist, Can bring their expertise into the classroom.

Are the students out hiking through a virtually snowless forest during February 2016?

Are they looking, carefully, thoughtfully, at what is happening?

Are the kids learning what they really need to know?

Are our young people reaching in their thoughts from the local to the global?

Are they reaching in their thoughts through the decades Of the lives they will live On a rapidly changing planet?

Are the kids learning what they will need to know in the 21st century?

As a teacher (PhD in literature from Stanford University, 1974) who has taught In American classrooms and in Norwegian classrooms, I would say that we are barely at the Cub Scout level.

Europe has over 3,000 offshore wind turbines spinning in the sea, Powering hundreds of thousands of homes in 24 countries.

America has zero offshore wind turbines.

Do you think there might be a difference between European schools and American schools?

These days of brown leaves and brown ferns and vanishing patches of snow On the hillsides of Vermont Are screaming at us … to notice what is happening.

John Slade Ripton

Letters to the editor can be found on Pages 4A, 5A and 7A Letters to the editor: The Addison Independent encourages readers to write letters to the editor. We believe a newspaper should be a community forum for people to debate issues of the day.

Because we believe that accountability makes for responsible debate, we will print signed letters only. Be sure to include an

address and telephone number, too, so we can call to clear up any questions.

If you have something to say, send it to: Letters to the Editor, Addison Independent, 58 Maple St., Middlebury, VT 05753. Or email to news@addisonindependent.com.

“Working together to give our patients the best experience.” admits drafts and slugs. It has the original (and very chipped) white tile backsplash, counter, sink and — from the looks of it — the original grout. Whether this is quaint or dirty is a matter of perspective.

That’s the first floor, aside from the world’s tiniest bathroom, which is tucked next to the staircase and contains a toilet and perpetually dripping sink (both circa 1939, I’d guess.)

The second floor has a full bathroom and two bedrooms. My husband and I sleep on a mattress on the floor of the smaller bedroom, while our four daughters bed down in sleeping bags atop two futon mattresses in the larger room.

We share a fenced-in backyard with our landlords, including a two-level terraced brick patio (that hill again), a lemon tree, and an apple tree. The laundry room, also shared, is accessed from the backyard. When I do laundry (which, with four children, is almost daily), I have to carry our laundry through the garage, down two flights of patio stairs, and through a locked door to a crawl space under our house. Every time I do this, I think, “Thank God it never snows here.”

We feel truly fortunate to have found this house, and to have such understanding landlords. “Let us know if you have any problems,” our landlord Jake told us as we stood in his living room on our first weekend in Berkeley. “These old houses, you know, they’re always shifting and moving.”

“See that crack there?” he continued, pointing to a half-inch gap between the brick fireplace and the wood floor, “That wasn’t here when we moved in two years ago.”

That’s when we started noticing the gaps in our own floors, the cracks in the ceiling and walls, and the 30-degree downhill slope of our kitchen that prevents us from fully

opening the broom closet. That’s when we remembered that we’re less than a mile from the active Hayward Fault, which the U.S. Geological Survey says is “increasingly likely” to produce a catastrophic earthquake within the next 30 years.

“I’m just putting this out there,” my husband says, “but maybe houses weren’t really meant to be built up in these hills.”

Then we look out our windows and see the orange sun setting behind the Golden Gate Bridge, and — along with our neighbors — we forget that we’re all slowly sliding downhill.

Faith Gong has worked as an elementary school teacher, a freelance photographer, and a nonprofit manager; she and her family moved to Addison County in 2011. Read more of her work on addisonindependent. com and on her blog, The Pickle Patch.

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PAGE 6A — Addison Independent, Thursday, February 11, 2016

ADDISON COUNTY

Obituaries Lorrette Bourgeois, 67, Panton

William Field, 90, native of Ferrisburgh MIDDLEBURY — William Aubert “Bill” Field, age 90, died peacefully on Feb. 2, 2016, in Helen Porter Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Middlebury.

Bill was born on Oct. 20, 1925, in Ferrisburgh, the son of Thad B. and Roseanna (Hamel) Field. He grew up on the family farm in Ferrisburgh, the youngest of 11 children. His early education was at Middle Brook School and later Vergennes High School.

In addition to working on the family farm, Bill was also an auto mechanic and served in the U.S. Army. After his honorable discharge in 1950, he returned home and married his now wife of 65 years, Beverly. Bill was later employed at CVPS, where he served as a lineman for 40 years. He was the proverbial “jack of all trades,” and this showed in numerous self-taught skills that he acquired, such as carpentry, auto mechanics and electrical.

After retiring, he kept busy by working on cars in his garage, and restoring his antique Farmall tractor.

Bill is survived by his wife, Beverly (Hawkins) Field; three sons, William H. Field and partner Chalis Raymond of Cornwall, Michael J. Field of Vergennes, and Eric A. Field and wife Mary (Parker) Field of Shelburne; two grandsons, David A. Field and Benjamin M. Field; two great-grandchildren, Dylan and Gracie; and many nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents and brothers and sisters Thomas B., Howard H., Mark T., Roseanna (Bodette), Benjamin A., Harold K., Harriette (Choiniere), Charles D., Ruth (Little), and Robert E. Field.

Interment will be in the spring.

WILLIAM FIELD Memorial donations may be made to the Activities Fund of the Memory Care Unit, Helen Porter Health & Addison County Home Health & Rehabilitation Center, 30 Porter Hospice, PO Box 754, Middlebury, Drive, Middlebury, VT 05753, or VT 05753. ◊

a member of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Middlebury.

Surviving are her husband, Edward M. Gipson Jr. of Middlebury, whom she married Nov. 23, 1963, in Middlebury; two sons, David Gipson and his wife Luella of Bridport and John Gipson and his wife Carolyn of Burlington; her sister, Carol Comes of Middlebury; a stepbrother, Thomas Bullock and his wife Nancy of Reedsburg, Wis.; five grandchildren, Chantal, Lea, Jessica, Christopher and Lauren Gipson; and her sister-in-law, Ann R. Gipson of Middlebury. Several nieces, nephews and cousins also survive her.

She was predeceased by her parents; two brothers, Richard VanBuren and William “Buttons” VanBuren; and 11 stepbrothers and -sisters.

Family and friends are invited to a gathering “In Celebration of Her Life,” which will be held on Saturday, Feb. 13, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., at the Middlebury American Legion Post 27. A private graveside committal service and burial will take place at a later date, in Farmingdale Veterans Cemetery in

RUTH GIPSON

SHELBURNE — Anna Eloise (Moulton) Haigis, 88, of Ferrisburgh and previously South Burlington died peacefully on Feb. 8, 2016, of complications from congestive heart failure and Alzheimer’s. She was born on Nov. 2, 1927, in Burlington, Vt., daughter of William Arthur Moulton and Lula Grace (Kendall) Moulton. She was one of six children including Walter, Kenneth, Marion, George and William Jr. Ann, as she was known, graduated from Burlington High School and worked as a bookkeeper and business manager, including manager of the Quarry Hill Club in South Burlington. She married John Richard “Dick” Haigis Sr. (predeceased) on Sept. 17, 1949. They lived most of their life in South Burlington and Ferrisburgh. She was an active member of the All Saints Episcopal Church in South Burlington and subsequently St. Paul’s Episcopal

Middlebury.

Memorial gifts in lieu of flowers may be made to Addison County Home Health & Hospice, P.O. Box 764, Middlebury, VT 05753.

Arrangements are under the direcFERRISBURGH — Rosemarie tion of the Miller & Ketcham Funeral “Rose” Provetto, aged 90, died at Home in Brandon. ◊ her home in Ferrisburgh, Vt., on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016.

Born June 10, 1925, in Bronx, N.Y., to Salvatore and Josephine (Militello) Tardibono, she attended in 2014, purchasing a church built Public School 40 and graduated from in 1918. Jim enjoyed fishing, read- Herman Ridder High School in 1943. ing and researching on his computer, After graduation she worked as a playing with his grandchildren and Licensed Practical Nurse for a neighsneaking them treats. Sherry reflects borhood physician, Dr. Lowy. On he loved his family and wishes he June 15, 1946, she married Joseph could have done more. He will be Provetto, remained a Bronx resideeply missed and was deeply loved. dent until 1979 when she moved to A get-together will be held in Thornwood, N.Y., after raising her Bridport this summer. Please make family. She retired and moved to contributions directly to Sherry Vermont in 1996.

Huestis, 128 Church St., Van Buren, She was an active member of Our ME 04785, as she cares for a disabled Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in son at home. ◊ Charlotte, VT and was a volunteer at the Vermont Respite House in Williston. She was a current member

June and Sheila and their significant others; and nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Jim attended school in Bridport and M.U.H.S. also working beside his father, brothers and cousins at the family farm owned by his Uncles Ernest and Erford in Bridport. He served his country from Oct. 11, 1962-Oct. 6 1965, returning to the farm continuing to serve in the National Guard from 1972-1992.

He and Sherry raised their boys beside the farm and moved to Maine

Church in Vergennes. She was also an enthusiastic member of the Red Hat Society.

She was both a leader and willing participant in any effort that meant lending a hand to family and friends alike. Her avocation was her family and she practiced it well throughout her life always encouraging and supporting those she cared about to be their best. One of her great joys was reading to the students at the Ferrisburgh Central School.

She is survived by her five children, Carol Ann Heise of Honduras; Frederick William Haigis of Salem, Mass.; John Richard Haigis Jr. of Mamaroneck, N.Y.; Kurt Peter Haigis of Ferrisburgh, Vt.; and Heidi Ruth Haigis of Rohnert Park, Calif. She is ANNA HAIGIS also survived by nine grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at St. Feb. 13, 2016. There will also be a Paul’s Episcopal Church, 6 Park St., drop-by reception and storytelling Vergennes, VT 05491, at 10 a.m. on following at 285 Haigis Lane. ◊

Rosemarie Provetto, 90, Ferrisburgh

Merton Huestis, 70, formerly of Bridport VAN BUREN, Maine/BRIDPORT, Vt. — Merton James “Jim” Huestis (Jan. 27, 1945-Jan. 18. 2016) passed away from a brief illness at home in Van Buren, Maine, with his beloved wife Sherry at his side.

His parents, Merton and Alma, predeceased him.

He leaves his sons, Tommy, Tony and Jesse; grandchildren, Kaleb, Dylan and Jameson; brothers and sisters, Michael, Ervin, Virginia, Patricia, Dennis, Sandra, Louise, Carole, Mary, John, Jerry, Colleen,

her Panton home.

Lorrette is survived by her two sisters, Linda Tromblay and Lucy Trayah; devoted spouse and love of her life, Paul Bourgeois; daughter Paula and son-in-law Eric Owen; son Alaric and daughter-inlaw Melissa Bourgeois; daughter Lucille Bourgeois and partner John Vanderhoof; and 10 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

She was pre-deceased by her daughter Valarie Bourgeois.

Those who knew her were blessed with her kindness and generous nature. She was loved by all fortunate enough to be graced with her presence and selflessness. Lorrette’s family wishes to express a heartfelt LORRETTE BOURGEOIS thank you to Dr. Andersson-Swayze for being her great doctor and to Addison County Home Health & A celebration of Lorrette’s life will Hospice for making it possible for be announced at a later date. her to stay home.

“We miss you already!” ◊

Anna Haigis, 88, Ferrisburgh

Ruth Gipson, 85, Middlebury MIDDLEBURY — Ruth Annie (VanBuren) Gipson, age 85, died Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, at Helen Porter Health & Rehabilitation Center in Middlebury.

Mrs. Gipson was born in Hudson, N.Y., on Oct. 11, 1930. She was the daughter of George and Frances (Rufiange) VanBuren. She came to Middlebury, with her family, as a young child. She grew up in Middlebury where she received her early education, and graduated from Middlebury High School, class of 1948. She afterwards attended the University of Vermont.

She began her working career in the hospitality business in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Lake Placid, N.Y. Returning to Middlebury she worked as a bookkeeper for County Tire.

She later worked as a bookkeeper and managed the Battell Block and Marble Works Partners Group, handling the rentals. She retired in 1995.

Her passion was music. She played piano at Porter Nursing Home on Sundays for many years. She loved her afternoon drives and doing challenging crossword puzzles. She was

PANTON — Lorrette T. Bourgeois’s story began in Chittenden County, Vt., on Feb. 29, 1948, the beloved daughter of Leo and Lucille Tromblay. After graduating from Essex High School, Lorrette continued her education at Fanny Allen Memorial School of Practical Nursing where she became an LPN. Soon after graduation she met and married her soul mate, Paul “Pepe” Bourgeois. Together they raised three children, Paula, Alaric and Lucille.

Her many hobbies included crafting, scrapbooking, baking, canning and watching her children and grandchildren compete in local swim meets.

She also worked at Simmonds Precision in Vergennes for many years. She had various other jobs, but her true passion was her family, who knew her as “Meme.” Lorrette’s story ended peacefully on Feb. 4, 2016, surrounded by loved ones at

of St. Peter’s Parish in Vergennes.

Rosemarie is survived by her husband of 69 years, Joseph Provetto of Ferrisburgh; six children and their spouses, Patricia Pollock and Alan of Chappaqua, N.Y., Joseph Provetto Jr. and Pamela of New York, N.Y., Rosemarie Provetto of Ferrisburgh, Salvatore “Sonny” Provetto of Starksboro, Giles Provetto and Tina of Mound, Minn., and Joann Aponte and Carlos of Nesconset, N.Y.; seven grandchildren; four great-grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, at 11 a.m. in St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Vergennes. Burial will be at a later date in New York.

ROSEMARIE PROVETTO Those who wish may make contributions in her memory to St. Peter’s Church, PO Box 324, Vergennes, condolences, please visit www.

VT 05491. To send online readyfuneral.com. ◊

Eleanor Walter, 95, native of Middlebury BATH, Maine — Eleanor “Ellie” Swett Walter, age 95, died peacefully at Hill House in Bath, Maine, on Feb. 6, 2016.

Born in Middlebury, Vt., on March 17, 1920, she was the youngest child of Phelps Nash Swett Sr. and Eleanor MacAdam Swett. She attended Middlebury schools, then Duke University, where she met her future husband, Edward Henry Walter.

They were married in February of 1943 and raised five daughters.

After all daughters were through with school, Ellie retired to Mount Vernon, in Bradenton, Fla. There she was active on the Board of Directors, and enjoyed one of her greatest

pleasures, playing tennis. Also an active swimmer and gardener, Ellie never let any moss grow under her feet.

The happiest moments in her life surrounded her time at her family cottage at Lake Dunmore in Vermont.

She was lucky to have spent all of her summers at the lake with generations of family always eager to visit.

She was predeceased by her husband; three brothers, Phelps Nash Swett Jr., Malcolm M. Swett, Donald J. Swett; four sisters-in-law, Lydia, Florence, Paula and Jean.

Surviving her are her five daughters, Janet Tubiolo and husband Andrew of Rochester, N.Y., Phyllis

Walter and wife Joy Tenney of San Diego, Calif., Dorothy Triquet and husband James of Newton Junction, N.H., Marjorie Parker and husband Richard of Bailey Island, Maine, Heidi Nelson and wife Linda Martin of Durham, Maine; five grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.

Burial will be in June at the family plot in Middlebury. Arrangements are in the care of Brackett Funeral Home, Brunswick, Maine. Memories and condolences can be shared at www.brackettfuneralhome.com.

Donations in Ellie’s memory can be made to Lake Dunmore/Fern Lake Association, P.O. Box 14, Salisbury, VT 05769. ◊

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Mary Turpin, 77, Shoreham SHOREHAM — Mary Ann Turpin, age 77, died Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, at Helen Porter Health & Rehabilitation Center in Middlebury.

Mrs. Turpin was born in Proctor on July 29, 1938. She was the daughter of Frederick and Helen (Martin) Landon. She received her early education in Florence schools. She moved with her family to Orwell where she attended junior high, and graduated from Brandon High School, class of 1957.

Following graduation she worked as a switchboard operator at Porter Hospital. She worked at Shoreham Apple Co-op for over 25 years until they closed. She later worked in the finish department at Vermont Tubbs for several years, retiring in 2006.

She enjoyed traveling with her husband to Hawaii and cruising the Caribbean. She was an avid bird watcher. She was a member and past president of Brandon American Legion Ladies Auxiliary Unit 55.

Surviving are her husband, Ernest John Turpin of Shoreham, whom she

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married in St. Genevieve Catholic Church in Shoreham on Oct. 21, 1961; two daughters, Elaine Ann Turpin of Williston and Jane Ann Bishop of Shoreham; one son, John Ernest Turpin of Middletown, Conn.; and her brother, Chester Landon of Dover, Del. Three granddaughters, one great-grandson and several nieces, nephews and cousins also survive her.

She was predeceased by two brothers, Arthur Landon and Frederick Landon Jr.; and two sisters, Betty McCray and Janet Duffany.

The graveside committal service and burial will take place, at a later date, in St. Genevieve Cemetery in Shoreham.

Friends may call at the Miller & Ketcham Funeral Home in Brandon on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016, from 4-7 MARY ANN TURPIN p.m.

Memorial gifts in lieu of flowers may be made to: The Activities Drive, Middlebury, VT 05753.

Fund for the residents, Memory Arrangements are under the direcCare Unit, Helen Porter Healthcare tion of the Miller & Ketcham Funeral and Rehabilitation Center, 30 Porter Home in Brandon. ◊

New Obituary Guidelines The Independent will publish paid obituaries and free notices of passing. The free notice of passing is up to 100 words, subject to editing by our news department. Paid obituaries cost 25 cents per word and will be published, as submitted, on the date of the family’s choosing. Paid obituaries are marked with ‘◊.’ Photos with either paid obituaries or free notices cost $10 per photo.

Obituaries may be emailed to obits@ addisonindependent.com, or call 802-388-4944 for more information.

Addison Independent, Thursday, February 11, 2016 — PAGE 7A

Letters to the Editor

Paul Ralston: The Reluctant Politician

Porter RN layoffs seen as ‘union busting’ in disguise I write this letter to protest the recently announced registered nurse layoffs planned for Porter Medical Center.

I must also echo the sentiment expressed by Dr. Patrick Stine in a recent letter and say that I love PMC. I worked at Porter Internal Medicine for 15 years. I had the distinct personal and professional satisfaction of being the designated office RN first for Dr. Meghan Cook and then for Dr. Brad Armstrong. I have also been a patient at PMC having had both minor and major surgeries and emergency room care. The care I received was excellent and nursing was integral to that excellence at every step.

Porter has already removed five LPNs from within the hospital.

When I was a patient on the main floor these nurses delivered skilled and compassionate bedside care. To now take the step of removing 8.5 RN positions from the physician practices further depletes patient care and safety. When I reflect on the emergencies encountered during my 15 years as an office nurse I shudder to think of their occurrence without the presence of experienced, professional RNs. We dealt with heart attack, systemic allergic reactions, seizures, severe hypoglycemia and

psychiatric crises to name but a few.

New PMC President and CEO Lynn Boggs writes (Independent, Jan. 11) that enhancing and protecting patient care is at the heart of these actions. Removing nurses from the bedside, exam room, and triage process leads me to question just what concept of patient care she and the board of directors have in mind.

In recent years the hospital has had major expenditures. Millions of over-budget dollars were spent on a problematic electronic medical records. The first floor and other hospital areas were extensively remodeled. In addition the hospital acquired more outpatient practices, and major renovations were done to some of these. I suggest that the hospital’s red ink is not due to the wages of five LPN (license practical nurse) and 8.5 RN positions. The fact that a $30 million capital improvement to the PMC campus is mentioned in the same context as cutting dedicated, professional staff with the possible “saving” of $1 million begs credulity.

Several years ago Porter nurses reluctantly started the long and difficult task of forming a labor union. The RNs elected to join with the American Federation of Teachers within the AFL-CIO. The countless hours

put into this endeavor by working nurses was in response to increasingly disrespectful and threatening behaviors by hospital administrators and middle management. Job descriptions, hours of work, seniority, benefits, requirements and actual positions were being changed or rumored to be changing. This was happening without nursing input.

The vote to unionize, with RN membership only, was very close.

But the union did win. I offer to you that nurses are not a professional group that historically has embraced labor unions. The vast majority of nurses are women, many of whom do not have the time for union meetings, question union dues and find the action of going on strike very difficult to contemplate. Nurses are truly dedicated to patient care and balk at any notion of abandoning or neglecting their patients.

Therefore I stipulate that the PMC administration plan to eliminate RN positions under the ruse of financial necessity is actually a tactic to sabotage the union. In short, to engage in union busting. This is a sad, shameful and dangerous direction for Porter Medical Center.

Catherine Braun Ripton

Presidential candidates offering fear and vengeance Our son in Scotland shares with us the bemused view held by many Scots of American politics. Recently 500,000 U.K. citizens petitioned Parliament to debate banning the real estate developer from the U.K. There was debate but, wisely, no action. Imagine, a presidential candidate being banned from the shores of one of our strongest allies.

If we can bring ourselves to be optimistic about the current state of our politics, we might remember Winston Churchill’s dictum: “Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. In-

deed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time …” (Churchill in the House of Commons, Nov. 11, 1947).

But it is difficult to be optimistic about the state of our politics.

Candidates are offering not hope but fear; not promise but threat; not compassion but vengeance; not reason but snarls. Is there no one with the courage to call “SHAME” to our would-be leaders?

A wise old Boston attorney, Joseph N. Welch, cut down the infamous demagogue of the ’50s, Joseph McCarthy: “Have you no sense

of decency? At long last have you left no sense of decency?” (Welch in a Senate hearing, June 9, 1954).

Biographer Ron Chernow’s statement about ambition should be our current politicians’ lodestar: “Ambition was reckless if inspired by purely selfish motives but laudable if guided by great principles.”

(Chernow in “Alexander Hamilton”).

Abraham Lincoln cited “the better angels of our nature” in his first inaugural address. Are we truly losing sight of great principles? Have we truly lost our better angels?

Thomas Bechtel Middlebury

Pamphlet offered ‘factual story’ of unborn development The “Life in Vermont” Jan. 21 newspaper insert tells the amazing and factual story of fetal development. A Feb. 4 letter to the editor indicated that the Vermont Right to Life Committee “used a harsh tactic in giving a fetus a voice to share its development in an effort to scare people considering an abortion.”

Scientific facts don’t scare people but inform and educate them. Fifty years ago Swedish photographer

Lennart Nilsson gave a similar “voice” to the preborn in his Life magazine photo essay “Drama of Life Before Birth.” Since then the “voice” of the preborn has grown louder through advanced technology, especially ultrasound.

WomenSafe, rather than hiding or dismissing this information, may want to explore it, discuss it and find out more about the loving option of adoption and positive resources mentioned in the pam-

Be sure to check out the fliers in our paper this week!

phlet, “Silent No More,” and Project Rachel’s post-abortion counseling.

Patricia A. Brooks Vergennes

I’m trying to decide if ning for office yourI should run for office, self? Maybe you have and if so, which office. run before; maybe this Whatever I decide, I would be your first will vote in each of the time. The deadline to upcoming elections this run in local elections year. You should vote, has passed, but you too. In order to vote, you can still run for a statehave to be registered, wide office or for the and your name has to be Vermont Legislature. on the voter checklist.

You may think the If you aren’t registered field of candidates yet, there is still time. for office in 2016 You have until 5 p.m., has already been Wednesday, Feb. 24, to set. It hasn’t. Acturegister to vote at town ally, around now is This week’s writer meeting and to vote in the traditional time the presidential primary. is Paul Ralston, to announce a run for The best way to regis- a small business office. There is still ter is to visit your town entrepreneur from plenty of time left for clerk, bring a photo ID, Middlebury. He is candidates to make fill out the form, and a Democrat who their decision to run, take the voter’s oath. served two terms in collect signatures on The clerk will see that the Vermont Legislaa petition and file that your name is put on ture from 2011-2014. petition with the apthe voter checklist. You propriate authority. can find out all you need to know We have until Thursday, May 26, by visiting the Vermont Secretary of to make up our minds and get our State’s website including the option paperwork submitted. The primary of registering online: https://www. doesn’t happen until Aug. 9 and the sec.state.vt.us/elections.aspx. general election is a full nine months OK, you’re registered to vote. away on Nov. 8.

Have you ever thought about runServing as an elected official in

Community

Forum

Vermont is an important undertaking. Whether you serve at the local, county or state level, Vermont is small, and one person can make a difference. We have seen that recently in the Legislature. Public service can be a rewarding experience, and yes, it can be challenging as well.

The success of our democracy depends on an active citizenry. In Vermont, we have a part-time “citizen legislature,” so it is important that more citizens consider representing their communities in our government. A seat in the Vermont House or Senate should not be a job for life. We don’t have term limits, and while institutional knowledge is an advantage of tenure, I think there are greater benefits in new ideas and new approaches that come with new people.

If you are happy with how things are going in our state, then fine, you can let it be. But if you are concerned with the trajectory of our government or you are disappointed that promises have been left unfulfilled, maybe it’s time for you to take a shot at running.

You’ve heard it before: “The decisions are made by those who show up.” Think about running. I am.

ACSU unification would better support its students With the Addison Central Supervisory Union district unification vote on Town Meeting Day, we are being given a rare opportunity to come together to acknowledge that regardless of which town we live in, we all benefit when our community has strong schools.

While it is true that district unification brings each ACSU town some tax savings for the next five years, the greatest benefit of a positive vote is our chance to as-

sure that the elementary schools in our district have the resources they will need to provide a high-quality elementary education. The vote on Town Meeting Day is for consolidated governance of our schools, not for school consolidation. It is an idea whose time has come.

We take a collective community pride in the accomplishments of students at Middlebury Union Middle School and Middlebury Union High School. From sports teams, to the-

ater performances, to band concerts, to academic achievements, our community cheers for and supports our middle and high school students whether they come from Bridport, Cornwall, Middlebury, Salisbury, Shoreham, Ripton or Weybridge.

ACSU governance unification will be our first step in extending this same level of shared community support to our elementary age children.

Barbara Saunders Middlebury

Merger of ACSU would cut taxes, build stronger schools I’m writing to tell you why I’m voting in favor of the Addison Central Supervisory Union unification plan and to ask you to please join me in voting YES on March 1.

This law encourages school consolidation at the supervisory union level. For a district like ACSU, where all elementary schools feed into the middle/high school, early action capitalizes on the most favorable tax incentives, secures

small schools grants and protects merged entities from declining enrollments.

The Act 46 study committee worked long and hard to create a unification plan that protects what’s important for our schools and communities while maximizing the tax incentives available under the law.

We have a history of working together through Middlebury Union Middle School and Middlebury Union High School; we all agree

this collaboration was successful with recent surveys ranking these schools in the top 10 percent of Vermont schools.

This plan will allow our school leaders and communities to utilize human resources and capital/facility resources to create learning environments to meet all our students learning styles, not restricted by town borders.

Brenda Fleming Cornwall

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INVITATION TO BID TOWN OF MIDDLEBURY

CREEK ROAD SIDEWALK, ROAD RECONSTRUCTION AND DRAINANAGE IMPROVEMENTS STP SRIN (39) (Also included is a Bid Alternate/Addition No. 1 which pertains to fine grading and pavement placement for the parking areas associated with the newly constructed Recreation Center) Sealed bids from pre-qualified contractors for the “Creek Road Sidewalk, Road Reconstruction, and Drainage Improvements STP SRIN (39)” will be accepted at the office of the Town Manager, Town Offices, 94 Main Street, Middlebury, Vermont 05753 until 11:00am on March 4, 2016 and will be publicly opened and read aloud soon thereafter. Bid packet must be obtained from DuBois & King, Inc. 28 North Main Street, Randolph, VT 05060. (802) 7283376.

Work for these improvements involves sidewalk construction, curbing, storm water drainage, road base reconstruction and paving.

All bidders and sub-bidders must be included on the Vermont Agency of Transportation’s list of approved contractors within the appropriate category.

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PAGE 8A — Addison Independent, Thursday, February 11, 2016

Christian Science Society MIDDLEBURY, VERMONT

Church Services

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community

calendar mentor Mr. Li Xubai of China, currently of Canada; and her teacher Mr. Guo Yiyu of Hong Kong.

Fish fry in Vergennes. Friday, Feb. 12, 5-7 p.m., St. Peter’s Parish Hall.

The Knights of Columbus host this meal of battered baked haddock, fries, macaroni and cheese, green beans, coleslaw, rolls, punch, milk and coffee. Adults $11, children under 12 $6, immediate family $32. Bring a dessert to share. Info: 877-2367. “Olives and Oranges: Growing a MaďŹ a-Free Sicilyâ€? talk in Middlebury. Friday, Feb. 12, 7 p.m., Ilsley Library. Grace Weber of Weybridge talks about her work in Sicily with the anti-MaďŹ a organization Libera Terra. Free. Info: 388-4095. “Black Comedyâ€? and “The Real Inspector Houndâ€? on stage in Middlebury. Friday, Feb. 12, 8 p.m., Town Hall Theater. Two one-act comedies. In the ďŹ rst, by Peter Shaffer, a blackout plunges the characters into darkness, but the audience can see everything. The second, by Tom Stoppard, is a parody of the English drawing room murder mystery. Tickets $12 Thursday, $17 Friday-Sunday, available at the THT box ofďŹ ce, 382-9222 or www. townhalltheater.org. Runs through Sunday, Feb. 14.

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American hot jazz TRUMPETER, VOCALIST AND composer Bria Skonberg and her quintet play an ode to Louis Armstrong, as well as a mix of jazz standards and originals, on Friday, Feb. 19, at 8 p.m. at Middlebury College’s Mahaney Center for the Arts.

ADDISON COUNTY

INDEPENDENT

VERMONT’S TWICE-WEEKLY NEWSPAPER Middlebury, VT 05753 • (802) 388-4944 • www.AddisonIndependent.com

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Check out our award-winning website with bonus content

GMC snowshoe outing in Middlebury. Saturday, Feb. 13, time TBA, Wright Park. Explore paths on the Trail Around Middlebury, 2-3 miles for 2 hours. Bring snowshoes or microspikes, water and snacks.

Contact leader Ruth PenďŹ eld for meeting time: 802-388-5407 or ruthpenďŹ eld@gmail.com. More info: www.gmcbreadloaf.org.

Monthly wildlife walk in Middlebury. Saturday, Feb. 13, 8 a.m., Otter View Park and Hurd Grassland.

A monthly OCAS-MALT event inviting community members to help survey birds and other wildlife. Meet at Otter View Park parking area, corner of Weybridge Street and Pulp Mill Bridge Road.

Birders of all ages and abilities welcome. Shorter and longer routes possible. Info: 388-6019 or 388-1007.

Pancake breakfast and silent auction in Monkton.

Saturday, Feb. 13, 8-10 a.m., Monkton Central School. Cub Scout Pack 525 will serve up pancakes, sausage, bacon, milk, orange juice and coffee.

Adults $8, children 10 and under $6. Info: 453-4859.

Chocolate Delight Night in New Haven. Saturday, Feb. 13, 7-9 p.m., Lincoln Peak Vineyard. Annual fundraiser for the New Haven Community Library featuring a variety of chocolate desserts. Tasting fee $10 per person.

The Woedoggies in concert in Brandon. Saturday, Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m., Brandon Music. This northern Vermont-based band brings a repertoire of originals as well as classic country, blues and folk. Tickets $20. Reservations recommended: 802-247-4295 or info@brandon-music.net.

The Michele Fay Band in concert in Lincoln.

Saturday, Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m., Burnham Hall. Part of the 2015-2016 Burnham Music Series. Doors open at 7 p.m., concert at 7:30. Admission $8 adults, free for kids and teens. See the Burnham Music Series Facebook page for full schedule of monthly concerts. Info: 388-6863. “Black Comedyâ€? and “The Real Inspector Houndâ€? on stage in Middlebury. Saturday, Feb. 13, 8 p.m., Town Hall Theater. Two one-act comedies. In the ďŹ rst, by Peter Shaffer, a blackout plunges the characters into darkness, but the audience can see everything. The second, by Tom Stoppard, is a parody of the English drawing room murder mystery. Tickets $12 Thursday, $17 Friday-Sunday, available at the THT box ofďŹ ce, 382-9222 or www.

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16

TUESDAY

Garden talk in Orwell. Tuesday, Feb. 16, 6:30 p.m., Orwell Free Library. Rebecca Maden of Singing Cedars Farmstead presents “Planning Your Garden: Choosing Varieties and Ordering Seeds.� Free. Info: 802-948-2041.

Bristol Town Republican Committee potluck and meeting in Bristol. Tuesday, Feb. 16, 6:30 p.m., Masonic Lodge Hall, 4 Elm St. Fred Baser will take questions and report on what’s going on in Montpelier.

Bring a dish to share.

Community chorus rehearsal at Middlebury College. Tuesday, Feb. 16, 7 p.m., Mead Chapel.

The Middlebury College Community Chorus’ ďŹ rst Tuesday rehearsal for its new season, featuring classical works by Vivaldi; lullabies from South African, Yiddish and American traditions; and new settings of poems about spring by contemporary American composers. Open to all without audition. Info: conductor Jeff Rehbach, 989-7355.

Feb

17

WEDNESDAY

Blood drive in Brandon. Wednesday, Feb. 17, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Brandon Medical Center, 420 Grove St. Appointments: redcrossblood.org or 1-800-RED-CROSS. Storymatters meeting in Middlebury. Wednesday, Feb. 17, 4-5:15 p.m., Ilsley Library. The local storytelling group gathers for the theme “What Has Come In or Gone Out in My Lifetime?� Personal (humorous or deeply serious) or social change (whimsical or jolting) stories. Afternoon tea or coffee and light refreshments served.

Book club meeting in Bridport. Wednesday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m., Bridport Town OfďŹ ce. The Bridport Book Club discusses “Arthur & George,â€? by Julian Barnes. Info: 759-3227. “Riverwalkâ€? slide show and talk in Lincoln.

Wednesday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m., Lincoln Library. Sonia DeYoung shares images and stories from her sixday, 25-mile walk meeting the people who live along the New Haven River. Info: 453-2665.

Blues jam in Middlebury. Wednesday, Feb. 17, 8-10 p.m., 51 Main. Dennis Willmott from Left Eye Jump will provide lead guitar, bass and drums if you need backup, or take a break and let you play. Bring your instrument and get ready to jam. Info: www. go51main.com.

Feb

18

THURSDAY

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19

12

Tax Receipts Available

Legislative breakfast in Vergennes.

Monday, Feb. 15, 7-8:45 a.m., St. Peter’s Parish Hall. Breakfast at 7, program at 7:30 a.m. With Addison County Chamber of Commerce business issues.

Feb

Feb

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15

MONDAY

Special story time in Bristol. Thursday, Feb. 18, 10:30 a.m., Lawrence Memorial Library. “Fancy Nancy� meets “Ladybug Girl� at a cupcake party. For families with preschool children; siblings welcome. Info: 453-2366 or lmlkids009@ gmail.com.

Blood drive in Bristol. Thursday, Feb. 18, noon-5:30 p.m., Mount Abraham Union High School. Appointments: redcrossblood.org or Origami workshop in Monkton.

1-800-RED-CROSS. Thursday, Feb. 11, 6:30-8 p.m., Monkton First Folio Festival at Middlebury College. Thursday, Friends Methodist Church. Teens and adults Feb. 18, 4:30 p.m., Mahaney Center for the Arts, are invited to learn how to make a series of origami Lobby and Museum of Art. Live performances and boxes and books. Reserve a space by calling the public reception with refreshments, in honor of the Russell Memorial Library at 453-4471 or stopping in. museum’s exhibition “Shakespeare’s First Folio! The Otter Creek Audubon lecture in Middlebury.

Book That Gave Us Shakespeare.� Info: http://shakeThursday, Feb. 11, 7 p.m., Ilsley Library. As part of speare.middlebury.edu.

OCAS’ Cabin Fever Lecture “The Dam Controversy� talk in New Haven.

Series, Gary Starr presents Thursday, Feb. 18, 7 p.m., New Haven Town Hall. The “Birds of Paradise and Other New Haven Conservation Commission’s Armchair Stories.� Free.

Naturalist Speaker Series asks “Black Comedy� and “The question “Should some TAEKWONDO LUAU FUN CAMP — by TaeKwonDo KICKS Monday, the Real Inspector Hound�

Vermont dams be removed?�

Feb. 15th -Thursday, Feb. 18th from 8:00-3:00 at the Aurora School in Discussion preceded by a on stage in Middlebury.

Thursday, Feb. 11, 8 p.m., Middlebury. Cost is $135 for week or $50 per day. TaeKwonDo in the screening of the award-winning Town Hall Theater. Two onemorning-fun luau activities in afternoon. Preregistration with payment movie “DamNation.â€? Free. act comedies. In the ďŹ rst, required. Call 802-377-0476 or email tkdkicks101@yahoo.com.

by Peter Shaffer, a blackout plunges the characters into MIDDLEBURY STUDIO SCHOOL — Children: Feb Vacation Clay Hand darkness, but the audience Building, Feb Vacation Wheel, Build your own Tree House.Adult: Weds can see everything. The Caregiver Midday Wheel begins Feb 10, Wire Jewelry, Weds AM Paint & PM second, by Tom Stoppard, is a Support Group parody of the English drawing in Lincoln. Friday, Wheel, Thurs. AM Hand Building, Figure Drawing-Joe Bolger, Book room murder mystery. Tickets Making, Thurs. PM Drawing, Mon. PM Oils, Pastels. Contact Barb Feb. 19, 1-2 p.m., Lincoln $12 Thursday, $17 FridayFor anyone who is at 247-3702, ewaldewald@aol.com, middleburystudioschool.org. Library.

Sunday, available at the THT caring for another person, box ofďŹ ce, 382-9222 or www. long distance or close by. Info: townhalltheater.org.

Runs CACKLIN’ HENS — Kids Vacation Fun! Felted Soaps Wed., Feb. 17 1-2pm 453-2665. through Sunday, Feb. 14.

Reserve your seat NOW! Call Cacklin’ Hens, 383 Exchange Street, Middlebury, Lenten ďŹ sh fry in Bristol.

Friday, Feb. 19, 5-7 p.m., St. 388-2221.

Ambrose Church. Seventeenth annual Lenten ďŹ sh fry. All-youcan-eat meal includes fried or townhalltheater.org. Runs through Sunday, Feb. 14.

Blood drive in Vergennes. Friday, Feb. baked haddock, French fries, coleslaw, beverage 12, 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., St. Peter’s Parish and dessert. Adults $12.50, children 9 and under $6, Hall, 85 South Maple St. Stop in or make an immediate family of ďŹ ve $37. Info: 453-2488. appointment: redcrossblood.org or 1-800-733-2767.

Bria Skonberg Quintet in concert at Middlebury “Love Chocolate, Love Stories� event in College. Friday, Feb. 19, 8 p.m., Mahaney Center St. Peter’s breakfast in Vergennes.

Middlebury. Friday, Feb. 12, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. for the Arts. Trumpeter, vocalist and composer Sunday, Feb. 14, 8-10 a.m., St. Peter’s Third annual day-long chocolate celebration and Skonberg’s program is an ode to Louis Armstrong, Parish Hall. A delicious breakfast of eggs, competition. Showcase of chocolate confections, plus a mix of jazz standards and originals. Tickets omelets to order, hotcakes, French toast, bacon, baked goods and desserts from 10 a.m. on, with $20/$15/$6, available at www.middlebury.edu/arts or sausage and more. Adults $8.50, seniors $7.50, a Valentine’s Day program at 4 p.m. and a tasting 802-443-3168. kids 6-12 $6, kids under 6 free, families of ďŹ ve or session from 5-7. Enter a chocolate treat in the The Matt Flinner Trio in concert in Bristol. Friday, more $28. Bring returnable cans and bottles in for professional or amateur category to a chance to Feb. 19, 8-10:30 p.m., Walkover Gallery and Concert the Youth Ministry fundraiser. Info: 877-2367. win a cash prize. Entry forms due Feb. 8, creations Room. Part of the Walkover’s Cabin Fever Series. due Thursday, Feb. 11. Registration: www.vermont- “Mad Matt the Democratâ€? presentation in Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Info and Ferrisburgh. Sunday, Feb. 14, 2-3 p.m., Ferrisburgh folklifecenter.org, 802-388-4964, or in person. reservations: 802-453-3188, ext. 2.

Town Hall/Community Center. UVM historian Vince “Loves Me, Loves Me Not: The Origin, Tradition Feeney will talk about Matthew Lyon, an indentured and Survival of the Daisy Oracle of Love� talk servant, Green Mountain Boy, son-in-law to Thomas in Middlebury. Friday, Feb. 12, 4 p.m., Vermont Chittenden, land speculator and entrepreneur. A Folklife Center. UVM professor Wolfgang Mieder colorful character from Vermont’s early years. Free. talks about history of the daisy as a common diviGMC cross-country ski outing in Info: 425-3380. nation tool for true love. Part of the folklife center’s Goshen, weather permitting. Saturday, “Loving Day� celebration in Ferrisburgh. Sunday, daylong Valentine celebration.

Feb. 20, time and meeting place TBA. Moderate Feb. 14, 2 p.m., Rokeby Museum. Celebrate love, Pizza bake fundraiser in Ripton. Friday, Feb. 1-1/2 to 3-hour event with parts on the Catamount and the Supreme Court ruling that struck down 12, 5-7 p.m. pick-up, Ripton Elementary School.

Trail with rolling terrain and some hills. Contact leader laws against interracial marriage, on Valentine’s Proceeds will help pay tuition costs for Ripton thirdAnn Christie for details: achristie1026@gmail.com or Day. A screening of the documentary “The Loving grader Addison Dunakin to attend the National 802-388-4347. More info: gmcbreadloaf.org.

Storyâ€? will be followed by discussion and refreshYouth Leadership Forum — Pathways to STEM in Rummage sale in New Haven. Saturday, Feb. 20, 9 ments, including chocolate. The ďŹ lm is about the Washington, D.C., in July. Pizzas $12 cheese, $15 a.m.-2 p.m., New Haven Congregational Church.

Loving v. Virginia case. Info: rokeby@comcast.net pepperoni or sausage and onion. Pre-order by noon Clothing and books for sale. Info: 453-5059. or 802-877-3406. on Feb. 12: 802-598-5607. “Much Ado About Nothing� screening at Middlebury All-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner in Weybridge. “Black Comedy� and “The Real Inspector Hound�

College. Saturday, Feb. 20, 3 and 8 p.m., Dana on stage in Middlebury. Sunday, Feb. 14, 2 p.m., Friday, Feb. 12, 5-8 p.m., Weybridge Elementary Auditorium. Shakespeare’s classic comedy, given Town Hall Theater. Two one-act comedies. In School. Spaghetti and meatballs, green salad, a contemporary spin by director Joss Whedon the ďŹ rst, by Peter Shaffer, a blackout plunges the garlic bread, homemade desserts and beverage. in 2012. Free. Info: www.middlebury.edu/arts or characters into darkness, but the audience can Proceeds go to the Weybridge Volunteer Fire 802-443-3168. see everything. The second, by Tom Stoppard, Department. Adults $8, children 6-12 $5, under 6 King Pede party in Ferrisburgh. Saturday, Feb. 20, is a parody of the English drawing room murder free. Tickets available at the town clerk’s ofďŹ ce or 6:30-8:30 p.m., Ferrisburgh Community Center mystery. Tickets $12 Thursday, $17 Friday-Sunday, at the door. and Town Hall. Sandwich supper followed by an available at the THT box ofďŹ ce, 382-9222 or www.

Art talk and exhibit reception in Middlebury. Friday, evening of fun and card games. Come planning to townhalltheater.org.

Feb. 12, 5-7 p.m., Jackson Gallery at Town Hall play King Pede or bring your own favorite card game.

Theater. Celebrating “Return of the Spring,� featurRequested donation: $2.50. ing the work of Middlebury artist Yinglei Zhang; her “The Solo Workshop� dance performance at

Feb

Quotes are taken from reader comments submitted with subscription renewals.

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Addison Independent, Thursday, February 11, 2016 — PAGE 9A

Please cast your vote on March 1st for

HEATHER SEELEY DEDICATED HARD-WORKING RECEPTIVE HHHHHHHHH Long time Middlebury resident running for a 3 year term on the Middlebury Selectboard hseeley@nbnworks.net 388-4326

paid for by Friends of Heather Seeley, JE Seeley Treasurer

We are Pleased to Announce that all of our Doctors are Accepting New Patients*

All things chocolate THE NEW HAVEN Community Library holds its annual Chocolate Delight Night fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 13, from 7-9 p.m. at Lincoln Peak Vineyard.

Middlebury College. Saturday, Feb. 20, 8 p.m., Mahaney Center for the Arts. An evening of new works exploring what “solo” means to both artist and audience. Tickets $12/$10/$6, available at www.middlebury.edu/arts or 802-443-3168.

Tina Packer’s “Women of Will” performance on stage at Middlebury College. Saturday, Feb. 20, 8 p.m., Wright Memorial Theatre. Master actor/ dramaturg Tina Packer conjures Shakespeare’s most famous female characters in a funny and fierce show titled “Force and Heat: The Early Plays,” with Nigel Gore. Tickets $20/$15/$6, available at www.middlebury.edu or 802-443-3168.

VPR A-Go-Go Party in Middlebury. Saturday, Feb. 20, 8 p.m., Town Hall Theater. Joel Najman, host of “My Place” on VPR, will spin tunes from the ’60s, share stories and get everyone on their feet.

Sixties-era costumes encouraged. Go-go dancers, club lighting and refreshments. Tickets $15, available at the THT box office, 382-9222 or www.townhalltheater.org.

Feb

21

SUNDAY

All-you-can-eat pancake breakfast in Addison. Sunday, Feb. 21, 7-11 a.m., Addison Fire Station. Plain and blueberry pancakes, sausage, bacon, home fries, coffee, hot chocolate and orange juice. Adults $6, kids under 12 $4. Funds raised will be used to purchase equipment for the Addison Volunteer Fire Department.

Info: 759-2237.

Champlain Valley Fiddlers meeting in Middlebury.

Sunday, Feb. 21, noon-5 p.m., Middlebury VFW. All are welcome. Refreshments available.

Ways of Seeing discussion in Middlebury. Sunday, Feb. 21, 1:30-2:30 p.m., EastView at Middlebury library. Addison Independent columnist Johanna Nichols discusses her Feb. 18 Ways of Seeing column, “Mistakes.”

Neighbors, Together community forum in Middlebury. Sunday, Feb. 21, 3-5 p.m., St. Stephen’s Church. This group, which has formed to address how the town can thrive and survive during the upcoming railroad bridges construction project, will meet for Forum 2: “Developing an Action Plan.” Childcare available for ages 3 and up. Repeats Feb. 25. Info: neighborstogethervt@ gmail.com.

Heliand Consort in concert at Middlebury College.

Sunday, Feb. 21, 3 p.m., Mahaney Center for the Arts. The ensemble presents “Distant Mirrors: Music Between the Wars, 1919-1939.” Free. Info: www.middlebury.edu/arts or 802-443-3168.

Spirit in Nature annual meeting and Eco-Spirit Award presentation. Sunday, Feb. 21, 4 p.m., Ilsley Library. This year’s Eco-Spirit Award recipient is the Middlebury College Sunday Night Group for a decade of student activism. A second award will be made posthumously to Alex Wylie for her work in conserving Vermont lands. Refreshments served.

Tina Packer’s “Women of Will” performance on stage at Middlebury College. Sunday, Feb. 21, 7 p.m., Wright Memorial Theatre. Master actor/ dramaturg Tina Packer conjures Shakespeare’s most famous female characters in a funny and fierce show titled “Chaos and Redemption: The Later Plays,” with Nigel Gore. Tickets $20/$15/$6, available at www.middlebury.edu or 802-443-3168.

Community chorus rehearsal at Middlebury College. Sunday, Feb. 21, 7 p.m., Mead Chapel.

The Middlebury College Community Chorus’ first Sunday rehearsal for its new season, featuring classical works by Vivaldi; lullabies from South African, Yiddish and American traditions; and new settings of poems about spring by contemporary American composers. Open to all without audition.

Info: conductor Jeff Rehbach, 989-7355.

Feb

22

MONDAY

Legislative breakfast in Whiting.

Monday, Feb. 22, 7-8:45 a.m., Whiting Town Hall. Breakfast at 7, program at 7:30

a.m.

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23

TUESDAY

Free foot care/blood pressure clinic in Middlebury. Tuesday, Feb. 23, 10 a.m.-noon, Russ Sholes Center. Bring your own basin and towel. Offered by ACHHH. “Books for Lunch” book discussion in Orwell.

Tuesday, Feb. 23, noon, Orwell Free Library.

Bring your lunch and join in on a discussion of “The Glass Castle” by Jeanette Walls. Info: 802-948-2041.

Illustrated lecture on photographer Carrie Mae Weems at Middlebury College. Tuesday, Feb. 23, 4:30 p.m., Mahaney Center for the Arts.

Elizabeth Searcy presents “Carrie Mae Weems’ Homecraft: Controlling Images and African American Families.” Free. Info: www.middlebury. edu or 802-443-3168.

Community chorus rehearsal at Middlebury College. Tuesday, Feb. 23, 7 p.m., Mead Chapel.

The Middlebury College Community Chorus prepares for its new season. Open to all without audition. Info: conductor Jeff Rehbach, 989-7355.

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24

WEDNESDAY

Mid-winter crafts for kids with Betsy in Lincoln. Wednesday, Feb. 24, 3:15-4:15 p.m., Lincoln Library. Make an oversized snowman or snowflakes from paper.

Materials provided. Sign up by Feb. 12: 453-2665 or lincolnlibraryvt@gmail.com.

“Meet the Candidates” night in Lincoln.

Wednesday, Feb. 24, Lincoln Library, Adult Reading Area. Mark Mulqueen will host a roundtable introduction of local folks who are running for office in Lincoln. Info: 453-2665.

Monthly book discussion in Lincoln. Wednesday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m., Lincoln Library, Community Room.

This month’s title: “The Thing About December” by Donal Ryan. This was a finalist for the Irish Book Awards and was the 2012 Irish Book of the Year.

Info: 453-2665.

“Schooling the World” screening at Middlebury College. Wednesday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m., Dana Auditorium. This film examines the hidden assumption of cultural superiority behind education aid projects, which overtly aim to help children “escape” to a “better life,” despite mounting evidence of the costs of our modern consumer lifestyles. Part of the Education Studies Program’s spring film series. Free. See http://schoolingtheworld.org.

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25

THURSDAY

Neighbors, Together community forum in Middlebury. Thursday, Feb. 25, 6-8 p.m., St. Stephen’s Church. This group, which has formed to address how the town can thrive and survive during the upcoming railroad bridges construction project, will meet for Forum 2: “Developing an Action Plan.” Info: neighborstogethervt@gmail.com.

Maiden Vermont guest night in Salisbury.

Thursday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m., Salisbury Community School. The popular women’s barbershop chorus invites women who like to sing, can sing on pitch and can carry a part to meet, mingle and rehearse with the singers. Info: 388-1012 or www.maidenvermont.com.

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FRIDAY

“The Opulence of Integrity” dance performance in Middlebury. Friday, Feb. 26, 8 p.m., Town Hall Theater. Christal Brown’s four-movement, evening-length dance work inspired by Muhammad Ali’s career as a boxer and his life as a social activist, public martyr and human being. Tickets $20 adults, $15 students.

Info: www.middlebury.edu/arts or 802-443-3168.

Also on Feb. 27.

L I V EM U SIC Left Eye Jump in Middlebury. Friday, Feb. 12, 8:3010:30 p.m., 51 Main.

Radio Flyer in Middlebury. Friday, Feb. 12, 9 p.m., Two Brothers Tavern.

The Band SuGaR in Middlebury. Friday, Feb. 19, 8:30-10:30 p.m., 51 Main.

Bob Gagnon Trio in Middlebury. Saturday, Feb. 20, 8:30-10:30 p.m., 51 Main.

Jeff Salisbury Band in Middlebury. Friday, Feb. 26, 8:30-10:30 p.m., 51 Main.

The Band Rowan in Middlebury. Saturday, Feb. 27, 8:30-10:30 p.m., 51 Main.

ONGOINGEVENTS By category: Farmers’ Markets, Sports, Clubs & Organizations, Government & Politics, Bingo, Fundraising Sales, Dance, Music, Arts & Education, Health & Parenting, Meals, Art Exhibits & Museums, Library Programs.

SPORTS Co-ed volleyball in Middlebury. Pick-up games Monday, 7-9 p.m., Middlebury Municipal Gym. Jack Brown, 388-2502; Bruce at Middlebury Recreation Department, 388-8103.

CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS ACT (Addison Central Teens). Drop-in hours during the school years: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, 3-6 p.m.; Wednesday and Friday, 3-7 p.m. 94 Main St. (Middlebury Town Office building), below rec. gym. Teen drop-in space for kids. Hang out with friends, play pool, watch movies, and eat great food. Baking: every Thursday from 3:30-5 p.m. Info: 388-3910 or www.addisonteens.com.

Addison County Amateur Radio Association. Sunday, 8 p.m. On the air on club repeater 147.36/147.96 MHz, 100 Hz access tone. Nonmembers and visitors welcome.

Addison County Emergency Planning Committee. Last Wednesday, 5 p.m. State Police Barracks. Public invited.

Addison County Republican Party. Third Friday, 7 p.m., Ilsley Library, Middlebury. 897-2744.

American Legion Auxiliary Post 27. Fourth Monday, 7 p.m. American Legion, Wilson Road, Middlebury.

Addison County Council Against Domestic and Sexual

Violence. Fourth Tuesday, noon-1:30 p.m. Addison County Courthouse in Middlebury. 388-9180.

Brandon Lions Club. First and third Tuesday, 7 p.m., Brandon Senior Center.

Brandon Senior Citizen Center. 1591 Forest Dale Road.

247-3121.

Bristol Historical Society. Third Thursday, 7 p.m., Howden Hall, 19 West St., Bristol.

Champlain Valley Fiddlers’ Club. Middlebury VFW, 530 Exchange Street. Third Sunday (except Easter), noon to 5 p.m. Donation $3. Refreshments available.

Looking for fiddlers young and old. Open to public.

Info: 342-0079.

The Hub Teen Center and Skatepark. 110 Airport Drive, Bristol. Open mike night, first Thursday of the month, 5:30-7:30 p.m., free for all ages; reserve a spot at thehub@gmavt.net. Info: 453-3678 or www.bristolskatepark.com.

LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer).

Youth support group meets Monday nights, 4-6 p.m., Turningpoint Center, Marble Works, Middlebury. Info: 388-4249.

Middlebury Garden Club. Second Tuesday. Location varies. Pat Morrow, 802-462-3741.

NEAT (Northeast Addison Television) Channel 16.

Fourth Monday, 5-7 p.m. NEAT studio in Bristol.

Bruce Duncan, bduncan@madriver.com.

Neshobe Sportsman Club. Second Monday, 6 p.m. potluck; 7 p.m. meeting. 97 Frog Hollow Road in Brandon.

Otter Creek Poets. Open poetry workshop held Thursdays, 1-3 p.m. Ilsley Library in Middlebury.

Poets of all ages are invited to share their poetry for feedback, encouragement and optional weekly assignments. Bring a poem or two to share (plus 20 copies). Led by David Weinstock. Free.

Orwell Historical Society. Fourth Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.

Orwell Free Library.

PACT (People of Addison County Together). Third Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Vermont state office building on Exchange St. in Middlebury, Health Department conference room. 989-8141.

Salisbury Historical Society. First Saturday, 9:30-10:45 a.m. Salisbury Congregational Church.

Samaritan’s Cupboard. Assembly of God Christian Center, 1759 Route 7, Vergennes. Third Thursday through October.

Vergennes Lions Club. First and third Wednesday, 6:45 p.m., American Legion. Club address: PO Box 94, Vergennes, VT 05491. Info: President Tim Cowan, 877-2382.

Vergennes Rotary Club. Tuesday mornings, 7:15-8:30 a.m., Champlain Valley Christian School, 2 Church St. Breakfast served at 7:15 a.m.

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS Addison Peace Coalition. Saturday, 10:30-11 a.m.

Triangle Park in Middlebury.

Citizens for Constitutional Government in Bridport.

Thursday, 7-9 p.m. Bridport Community School.

Learn about the U.S. and Vermont constitutions and how to defend our rights.

Five-Town Area Vigil for Peace. Friday, 5-5:30 p.m.

Bristol green. All welcome to speak out for world peace.

Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles Mobile Service Van. Second and fourth Wednesdays, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; Every Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m. Addison County Courthouse, in Middlebury. The van offers written exams, customer service and road tests.

828-2000.

BINGO American Legion Hall, Middlebury. Wednesday. Doors open 5:30 p.m. with early birds. Jackpot $3,000.

Food available. Benefits veterans, scholarships and community programs. 388-9311.

Brandon Senior Center, Brandon. First and third Mondays. 6 p.m. Refreshments sold. 247-3121.

Brandon American Legion. Tuesday, warm-ups 6:15 p.m., regular games 7 p.m. Food available, complimentary hot tea and coffee. Info: 247-5709.

VFW Post 7823, Middlebury. Monday. Doors open 5 p.m., quickies 6:15 p.m., regular bingo 7 p.m.

388-9468.

FUNDRAISING SALES Bixby Memorial Library Book Sale, Otter Creek Room, 258 Main St., Vergennes. Starting April 18, 2015: Monday-Friday, 2-4:30 p.m. (Thursday, 2-6:45 p.m.); and Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Proceeds support library programs and materials.

Ilsley Public Library Book Sale. First Saturday, 11 a.m.2:30 p.m., Vermont Room. Ongoing sale in The Last Word during library hours. Info: 388-4095.

St. Peter’s Closet in Vergennes. Behind St. Peter’s.

Open on Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Two Brothers Tavern’s Charitable Mondays. First Monday. 10 percent of entire day’s proceeds go to designated charity.

DANCE, MUSIC, ARTS & EDUCATION Bridge at Ilsley in Middlebury. Thursdays, 5:30-8 p.m., Ilsley Library. Single players welcome. Info: 462-3373.

Celtic jam session in East Middlebury. Third Wednesday, 8-10 p.m., Waybury Inn. Open session to play traditional Scottish and Irish tunes on acoustic instruments. All abilities welcome. No sessions in November or December 2015.

Celtic jam session in Middlebury. First Wednesday, 8-10 p.m., 51 Main. Come swap Scottish, Irish and Canadian fiddle tunes. Open to all instruments and

MIDDLEBURY FAMILY HEALTH would like to welcome Dr Katie Miller to our team.

Dr. Miller was raised in a large family in Maine and went to UVM Medical School. She finished her Internal Medicine Residency at Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and recently moved to Vermont with her husband and daughter. *Dr. Eileen Doherty-Fuller, Dr. Linn Larson, Dr. Wendie Puls, Dr. Jean Andersson-Swayze and Dr. Katie Miller.

Please call the office to schedule an appointment: 802-388-1500

Celebrate!

Bristol Fitness is 16! this month.

Begin a membership in our birthday month and SAVE! Pay only $16 to join (regular $49.95) and receive a free month(s) when you buy 6 or 12 months of membership.

New Classes: Intro to Strength and Wellness • NIA Dance Strength Express • Interval Mashups • Yoga Pilates Fusion

Remember, Consistency is the Key to Change!

Call 453-5205 for more information 14 School Street, Bristol VT • 453-5205

community

PAGE 10A — Addison Independent, Thursday, February 11, 2016

calendar

Now’s a good time to align ourselves I am typing these words on Feb. practice will help the nonviolent offenses 2, Groundhog Day. Also known as body grow stronger (like possessing a Imbolc, on the Pagan calendar, this and more capable. small amount of day marks the midpoint between But the real gift is marijuana), while winter solstice and spring equinox. how our mind can an elected official By the time you are reading these become liberated. continues to hold words, we’ll be that much further These days I am office after poisonalong toward spring! The light noticing a stronger ing an entire city looks different outside. The sun is connection with for two years? a little higher in the sky. Birds are my own heart. My The first precept singing, perhaps fooled by a freak- mental and physical of yoga is Ahimsa, ishly warm first day of February. heath is connected which means In yoga class, I mentioned that with everyone else’s nonviolence. this exact midpoint between winter mental and physical In yoga class, and spring is a lovely time to prac- health. Sometimes we practice this tice centering yourself on your this is a wonderful precept in several yoga mat. We sometimes use the feeling, as when I ways. Physically, word “centering” to mean turn- feel the deep peace by taking care ing inward, quieting the mind, and of a roomful of yoga not to injure

by Joanna Colwell calming down. But in Iyengar yoga, students resting at ourselves as we we literally center ourselves on our the end of class. hold each posture, yoga mats. When we lie down on Sometimes this is a painful feeling, and mentally and emotionally by our mats to rest, at the end of class, as when I imagine the anguish of a refraining from judging ourselves we position ourselves in the middle mom in Flint, Mich., who knows or others. When we leave the yoga of the mat, as if we her child has studio, how can we continue to put were placing our been drinking this essential teaching into practice? spine right on the tainted water.

It is quite obvious to most of us ow is it midline. Then we The filmmaker that we should refrain from harmpossible release our limbs Michael Moore, ing others, hitting them, yelling at evenly and equally that right whose hometown them, calling them racist names. away from that is Flint, has called Most human beings would never now there are centerline. Why do for the arrest of dream of poisoning a city’s water we do that? Why thousands and Gov. Snyder. In supply. But this is happening right not just lie down for thousands of his online peti- now, in our country. The city of a well needed rest? tion (which as Flint is more than twice the size of By taking care to people in jail of this writing Burlington. That’s a lot of families, position ourselves for nonviolent has been signed a lot of children. The great majoras evenly as possialmost 600,000 ity of these families are low income ble, we are creat- offenses (like times), he says and African American. I keep ing the conditions possessing a “To poison all trying to put myself in the shoes of for optimal relaxthe children in an a mother there. How would I want ation and release. small amount historic American the rest of the country to respond?

Physical stability of marijuana), city is no small The writer Alice Walker said, generates mental feat. Even inter- “Activism is my rent for living on stability, and while an elected national terror- the planet.” While we may not all physical release official continues ist organizations be able to run for office like Bernie and spaciousness haven’t figured Sanders, make a documentary film to hold office will help the mind out yet how to like Michael Moore, or create great experience its own after poisoning do something on literature like Alice Walker, we can vastness. a magnitude like all do SOMETHING to help right an entire city for My wonderthis.” a disastrous wrong. Let us be brave ful teacher in two years?

The more I and strong and take some action that California, Tony learn about this moves our world toward justice.

Briggs, would often crime against Joanna Colwell is a certified tell his students, “This is a mental humanity that is happening in Flint, Iyengar yoga teacher who directs practice disguised as a physical the more I look forward to seeing Otter Creek Yoga in Middlebury’s practice.” While it is true that yoga the governor of Michigan being Marble Works district. She lives can be extremely demanding physi- handcuffed. How is it possible with her family in East Middlebury, cally, it is really our minds that that right now there are thousands and welcomes feedback at joanna@ we are training. Yes, over time the and thousands of people in jail for ottercreekyoga.com.

Ways of Seeing

Dam!

H

THE HUNTINGTON FALLS Dam across Otter Creek in New Haven and Weybridge is one of over a thousand dams on Vermont’s waterways. The New Haven Conservation Commission will host a talk, titled “The Dam Controversy,” on Thursday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m. at the New Haven Town Hall to discuss whether some of these dams have outlived their usefulness and should be torn down.

Photo by Dean Goss

ONGOINGEVENTS

(Continued)

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players familiar with Celtic sessions and jam etiquette. Info: mfloyd@middlebury.edu or 203-823-8669.

Chess and bridge clinic in Middlebury. Mondays, 3:30-5:30, Ilsley Library. Casual play and gentle coaching in bridge and chess.

Chess club in Brandon. Saturdays, 12:30 p.m., Brandon Library.

All ages and abilities welcome.

Chinese conversation group in Middlebury. Saturdays, 10-11 a.m., starting April 14, 2015. Informal discussion in Mandarin Chinese led by native speaker Yinglei Zhang. Info: 388-4095.

Classical string ensemble in Middlebury. Third Friday, EastView at Middlebury. Amateur ensemble looking for violinists. Info: 388-7351.

College Session for Seniors in Middlebury. Elderly Services, 112 Exchange St. Classes for people over 60 in basic computer, opera, politics, history, international law and more. Call 388-3983 or e-mail college@elderlyservices.org.

Computer lab open hours in Bristol. Monday-Thursday, 3:30-7 p.m., Mount Abraham Union High School library. Free access to the library’s electronic resources, courtesy of e-Vermont funding.

Craft workshop in Forest Dale. Tuesday, 6:30-8 p.m., Living Waters Assembly of God Church, Route 53. Free workshop for knitting, crocheting, or other crafts. Coffee served. Info: 247-3637.

Creative writing workshop in Vergennes. Thursday, 6-8 p.m., Bixby Library. Free. Librarian Muir Haman guides participants through short-form writing and creative exercises. All experience levels welcome. Info: 802-877-2211 or muir.haman@ bixbylibrary.org.

Dancing in Middlebury. Sundays, 6:30-7:30 p.m., EastView at Middlebury. Come dance to swing, blues and waltz music.

Wear clean, dry, soft-soled shoes. Info: 475-2349 or jscondon@mac.com.

Dramatic writing workshop in Vergennes. Monday, 6-8 p.m., Bixby Library. Free workshop led by screenwriter Jay Dubberly in which participants help each other work on longform writing projects. Info: 802-877-2211 or muir.haman@ bixbylibrary.org.

Drum Collective. Group drumming. Every Monday, 10-11 a.m., 111 Maple St. in the Marble Works at Huard Studio. Led by local percussionist Will Smith. Open to all. Info: www.drumcollective.org.

Drum gathering in Bristol. Last Friday of the Month, 6-8 p.m., Recycled Reading of Vermont. Info: 453-5982 or www.recycledreadingofvt.com.

Duplicate bridge at EastView in Middlebury. Tuesdays, 6:20-9 p.m. Info: 462-3373.

French conversation group in Middlebury. Second Saturday (deuxième Samedi) of the month, 1 p.m., location varies.

Enjoy casual conversation; all levels welcome. Info: slater@ middlebury.edu.

Jam session for teens in Middlebury. Second and fourth Thursdays of each month, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Addison Central Teen Center, 94 Main St. Bring your own instrument or borrow one of ours. To register, call Robin or Jutta at 388-3910.

Journaling for Self-Discovery group in Lincoln. Third Thursday

WELLNESS CENTER

A Center for Independent Health Care Practitioners “Wellness is more than the absence of illness.”

50 Court St • Middlebury, Vt 05753 Jim Condon ................... 388-4880 or 475-2349 SomaWork

of every month, 7 p.m., Lincoln Library. Info: 453-2665.

Knitting and Rug Hooking in Brandon. First and third Wednesdays of each month, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Brandon Library.

Project sharing, idea gathering and textile camaraderie.

Knitting group in Brandon. Thursday, 1-3 p.m., Brandon Senior Center. 247-3121.

Knitting group in Vergennes. Third Saturday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Bixby Memorial Library. Informal assistance provided.

Arabella Holzapfel, 443-5284 (weekdays), 877-2172 (evenings) or araho@verizon.net.

Maiden Vermont women’s barbershop chorus, under the direction of Lindi Bortney, is open to women of all ages. The group sings four-part a cappella music from traditional barbershop to doo-wop and Broadway. Rehearsals Thursdays, 7-9:15 p.m., Salisbury Community School. Info: 388-1012 or go to www.maidenvermont.com.

Meditation in Vergennes. Fridays, 6-7 p.m., 2Wolves Center.

Walk-in meditation. Cushions and chair provided. Timer present. Free but donations appreciated.

Middlebury College Community Chorus. Mead Chapel. Open to all singers without auditions. Conductor Jeff Rehbach, 443-5811; manager Mary Longey, 236-7933.

Movie club in Vergennes. First Friday of the month, 6-8:30 p.m., Bixby Library. A film of note is introduced, watched and discussed. Free popcorn. For info and upcoming title: 802-877-2211 or muir.haman@bixbylibrary.org.

Parler Français Comme Des Vaches Espagnoles. Every Thursday, 7 p.m. 35B West. St. in Bristol (above Paige & Campbell). Conversational French for speakers of all abilities.

Info: 453-2285.

Round, line and square dancing in Brandon. Second Friday, September 2015-May 2016, 7-10 p.m., Neshobe School.

Info: 247-5544.

Sacred Harp (Shape Note) Sing. Second Sunday, 1-3 p.m.

Middlebury. All ages and levels of experience welcome.

Debby, 388-5410 or www.fasola.org.

Spanish conversation group in Brandon. Every Saturday, 11 a.m.-noon, Gourmet Provence, 37 Center St. All levels welcome.

Teen movie night in Middlebury. First Friday of every month, 6-10 p.m., Addison Central Teen Center, 94 Main St. Twist O’ Wool Guild. First Thursdays, 7 p.m. American Legion on Wilson Road.

Vermont Ukulele Society. Second and fourth Mondays, beginners 6:30-7 p.m. regular session 7-9 p.m. at Howden Hall in Bristol. Call 453-6411 or see http://vtukes.webs.com for info.

Extra ukuleles for beginners.

Wooly Bullys fiber enthusiasts group. First Tuesdays, Orwell Free Library. Info: 802-948-2041.

MEALS Bristol senior luncheon. First Thursday, noon, First Baptist Church of Bristol. Suggested donation $4. 453-5276.

Free Community Lunch in Middlebury. Summer: MondaysThursdays at the Charter House, 27 North Pleasant St. (just north of the Middlebury Inn). 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Eat in or take out. Supported by area churches.

Free Community Supper in Middlebury. Fridays, 5-6:15 p.m.

Congregational Church Fellowship Hall. Meals provided by

over 35 different groups. Info: 388-7634 or 388-7613.

CVAA Senior Meals: Bridport: Grange Hall Community Room. Noon meal on Monday and Wednesday. Evening meals on second and fourth Wednesdays at 5 p.m. Reservations: Michelle Eastman at 1-800-642-5119 x615. Transportation by ACTR: 388-1946.

Bristol: American Legion. Noon meal on Wednesday. Barb Prime, 1-800-642-5119, ext. 603. Free transportation: ACTR, 388-1946.

Middlebury: Russ Sholes Senior Center. Noon meal on Tuesday and Friday, except for the first Friday when a special noon meal is served at the VFW on Exchange Street. Tracy Corbett, 1-800-642-5119 Ext. 634. Free transportation: ACTR, 388-1946.

Vergennes: Vergennes Senior Center. Noon meal on Tuesday and Thursday. Michelle Eastman at 1-800-642-5119, ext.

615. Free transportation: ACTR, 388-1946.

Bristol Libanus Lodge, F&AM Breakfast. Second Sunday, 7:3010:30 a.m. Eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, French toast, home fries, juice, coffee and tea. Buffet. $6. Benefits local charities.

Middlebury Congregational Church Community Supper. Friday, 5-6:15 p.m. Free. 388-7634.

Starksboro senior luncheon. Fourth Thursday, 11:30 a.m.,

January-October, Starksboro First Baptist Church. 453-6354 or mtgazette@earthlink.net.

Vergennes Masonic Lodge Breakfast. Last Sunday, 7:30-10 a.m. Pancakes, French toast, home fries, eggs, bacon, sausage and beverage. All you can eat. Adults $6; children $3. Benefits the lodge’s charitable donations.

VFW Fish Fry in Middlebury. Third Friday, 4-6 p.m., Men’s Auxiliary, VFW Post 7823, Exchange Street. $9 per person.

Proceeds to benefit the post’s charitable donations.

VFW Fish Fry in Vergennes. Second Friday, 5-7 p.m., Sons of the American Legion, VFW Post 14, Armory Lane. $10 per person. Haddock, fries, coleslaw and cash bar.

See an extended calendar and a full listing of

ONGOI NG EVENTS

on the Web at

www.addisonindependent.com

wellness

directory

Caryn Etherington ................... 388-4882 ext. 3 Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork Nancy Tellier, CMT ......................... 388-4882 ext. 1 Therapeutic Massage, CranioSacral Therapy, Ortho-Bionomy®, Soul Lightning Acupressure Donna Belcher, M.A. ............................ 388-3362 Licensed Psychologist - Master, Psychotherapy & Hypnosis Charlotte Bishop ....................... 388-4882 ext. 4 Therapeutic Soft & Deep Tissue ...or 247-8106 Neuro Muscular Reprogramming JoAnne Kenyon, NCTMB, LMT(NM)..... 388-0254 Be your best! Energy Balancing: Brennan Healing Science®, Quantum Touch®, Matrix Energetics®. Relaxing Integrative Massage. www.joanne.abmp.com Karen Miller-Lane, N.D., L.Ac. .............. 388-6250 Naturopathic Physican, Licensed Acupuncturist, CranioSacral Therapy.

Ron Slabaugh, PhD, MSSW, CBP........ 388-9857 The BodyTalk™ System Irene Paquin, CMT 377-5954 or 388-4882 ext.1 Integrative Energy Work & Therapeutic Massage. Ortho-Bionomy® & Reiki Master Robert Rex................................. (802) 865-4770 Certified Rolfer™, Movement Educator Gail Rex...................................... (802) 989-1989 Licensed Acupuncturist, Herbal Medicine If you’d like to be listed in this Wellness Directory, call Pam at 388-4944.

Robert Rex

Certified Rolfer™, Movement Educator Robert introduced Rolfing® Structural Integration to Middlebury over 8 years ago. Rolfing is a hands-on form of bodywork that softens and re-aligns your connective tissue, allowing for more energy, improved posture, and pain resolution. Rolfing—and Robert’s style of Rolfing in particular—meet your body where it is, instead of overpowering it. Robert works with you and your body to achieve your goals, and specializes in trauma release, chronic pain, movement repatterning, neurofascial mobilizations, and soft tissue spinal and bone adjustments. This approach can lead to profound changes, and provide you with new options to move, play, and live your life.

• • • •

Move the way you used to move!

Perform the way you want to perform!

Age the way you want to age!

Rolfing can be a powerful reset button at any stage of your life.

Robert is also a graduate of the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration, as well as a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Addison Independent, Thursday, February 11, 2016 — PAGE 11A

ND

AROU

Goings on

Something special going on in your send it in! life? Send it in at:

TOWN

Does your group or organization have something happening that’sAddison appropriateIndependent for the calendar? We want P.O. Box 31 please, send to hear about it! If you have a picture, Middlebury, Vermont 05753 that too. Pictures and text may be emailed to: or email it to: news@addisonindependent.com news@addisonindependent.com

A night of laughs THE MIDDLEBURY COMMUNITY Players are staging two back-to-back one-act comedies starting Thursday night at Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater. During a Tuesday night rehearsal of Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Inspector Hound,” at left, Kate LaRiviere Gagner and Alex Nicosia react to some shocking news, and at right, Kerianne Severy and Leigh Guptill play off each other in a scene. The show Thursday night at 8 p.m. And runs through Sunday.

Independent photos/Trent Campbell

St. Stephen’s invites all to Taizé services from France MIDDLEBURY — St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Middlebury will offer a series of Lenten services inspired by the beautiful, chant-like music of the Taizé Community, an ecumenical, multicultural monastery in France.

All are invited to attend.

All services will be on Wednesday evenings, from Feb. 17 through March 16, starting at 7 p.m.

“From the depth of the human condition,” wrote Brother Roger, the founder of the Taizé Community, “a secret aspiration rises up. Caught up in the anonymous rhythms of schedules and timetables, men and women of today are implicitly thirsting for the one essential reality: an inner life, signs of the invisible.

“Prayer is a serene force, a work within human beings, stirring them up, transforming them, never allowing them to close their eyes in the face of evil, of wars, of all that threatens the vulnerable of this world. From it we draw the energy to wage other struggles — to enable our loved ones to survive, to transform the human condition, to make the earth a place fit to live in.”

St. Stephen’s is offering the Taizé series as a weekly way to deepen the experience of Lent — the 40 days leading up to Easter. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, Feb. 10 this year, which St. Stephen’s marked with the traditional imposition of ashes.

Lent — named after the lengthening of days that leads with the growing spring to Easter — is traditionally a time of prayer, self-reflection and spiritual renewal, a way of “spring cleaning the soul.” Lent continues through Easter Eve, which this year is Saturday, March 26, marked by a fire-lit vigil. Easter Sunday is March 27.

Taizé services are built around singing, silence and prayerful contemplation. Often the services are lit almost entirely by candlelight and focused around a simple altar or collection of images. The Taizé

Community has developed a style of worship that is simple and powerful, and Taizé services can now be found around the world.

St. Stephen’s officials emphasized that Taizé is multi-denominational and nondogmatic. Though built on song, the service is simple and focuses on prayer, joy and healing, not on performance. In Taizé, music is a form of prayer, and no special ability is required.

The Taizé Community began in France during World War II, when founder Roger Schütz, who came to be known, simply, as Brother Roger, wanted to create a place of safety and refuge amidst the horrors of that war. Today, the village of Taizé, near Cluny, France, is a site of pilgrimage for hundreds of thousands from all over the world, especially young people, who come to sing and pray together and live in kindness, reconciliation and simplicity.

“Taizé is a simple yet powerful approach to worship,” said Jack DesBois, one of the organizers of the St. Stephen’s worship series and a recent Middlebury College graduate.

“And because it is based on music, it speaks directly to the heart. The candlelight together with the repetition and the music and just being together create a real place of joy and help you feel in God’s presence.”

The Lenten services at St. Stephen’s will be sung mostly in English, with a little bit of Latin.

Many Taizé services reflect the multicultural roots of this worship community by offering songs in a multiplicity of languages.

To learn more about the Taizé Community go online to: www. taize.fr. To listen to an example of Taizé worship, accompanied by photos from the Taizé Community, go to www.youtube.com/ watch?v=WmxXwAgkhWQ. For more information about the upcoming Lenten Taizé services, contact the St. Stephen’s main office at 388-7200.

Notes of appreciation Thanks all who helped in ACR raffle Sue Boucher, Judy Dunning, Helen Kitchel, Jed and Pam Martin and Janet McKinnon were the winners in the Addison County Readers’ raffle. ACR is the local nonprofit that, along with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, makes it possible for children who live in Addison County to have a free book mailed to them each month until they turn 5.

Thank you to all who supported the fundraising raffle. Special thanks

United Way wants to thank two local businesses for matching donations VERGENNES LIONS CLUB President Chuck Burkins presents Margo Grace of Addison County Readers with a check for $250 at a recent club meeting. The nonprofit program provides one free book per month to area children from birth to age 5.

Addison County Readers gets a boost from Lions VERGENNES — At the last meeting of the Vergennes Lions Club, Margo Grace of Addison County Readers spoke to the group about how the program got started in 2008 using Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

Through Addison County Readers, from the time a child is born until they are 5 years of age, they receive a book each month.

When children are born at Porter Medical Center in Middlebury, they get registered for the program. If they are born in other hospitals or at home, parents can register them by going online to www.imaginationlibrary.com.

There is no cost to the family for the books, even though the annual cost is about $30 per child, but anyone who wishes

to contribute toward that cost is welcome to do so. The program is a nonprofit with no paid staff, and depends on donations from local service organizations, town appropriations, grants and private donations. The program receives in-kind support from United Way of Addison County.

There are currently over 1,000 preschoolers receiving monthly books in the mail in Addison County. Since 2008, over 16,400 books came to the five-town Addison Northwest Supervisory Union. In the last year, nearly 1,500 books were received.

At the end of the presentation, Lions President Chuck Burkins presented Grace with a check for $250 in support of the Addison County Readers program.

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United Way of Addison County would like to recognize and thank Vermont Trade Winds Farm and Vermont Federal Credit Union (who matched dollar for dollar) for their Christmas donation this holiday season.

Vermont Trade Winds had a beautiful wreath and garland display at the Middlebury Vermont Federal Credit Union throughout the month of December and chose

to donate some of the proceeds to help those in our community in need of food and health services.

Businesses like these are what make Addison County such a special place.

Thank you also to all those who purchased their holiday greens from Vermont Trade Winds Farm.

Nancy Luke United Way of Addison County Middlebury

Grand opening for new CVAA senior meal site set for Tuesday MIDDLEBURY — CVAA announces the grand opening of a senior meal site at the new Middlebury Recreation Center.

Seniors 60 and older are invited to enjoy CVAA’s first luncheon in this new space on Tuesday, Feb. 16.

At 11 a.m., Chris Huston, Bread Loaf Corp. vice president of architecture, will discuss the building of this space, from concept to reality.

A special noontime meal will follow, featuring glazed baked ham with pineapple sauce, baked stuffed

SEND

potato, baby carrots, green salad with choice of dressing, dinner roll and apple pie with cream. Certified organic regular and decaffeinated coffee will be available at this Middlebury meal site, thanks to the generous donation of Vermont Coffee Co. A $4 donation is suggested.

Advanced reservations are required.

Call CVAA at 1-800-642-5119, ext.

1070, to reserve. Free transportation can be provided by ACTR; call 802-388-1946 to learn more.

Send your announcements to us at: news@addisonindependent.com

ITIN:

Happy 80th Birthday Careen Farnsworth on February 25th!

With love from the family.

Card Shower!

Please send cards to:

100 Hewitt Rd., Bristol, VT 05443

PAGE 12A — Addison Independent, Thursday, February 11, 2016

Lincoln Library plans Feb. events LINCOLN — Lincoln Library the many ways a river can move us. has planned a slate of programs and She’ll share her stories from the exworkshops for the month of Febru- perience and how it has influenced ary that are targeted at both children her approach to life. and adults.

The Lincoln Library Caregiver An adult coloring program, titled Group meets on Friday, Feb. 19, “Color Your World,� is from 1-2 p.m. This on Wednesday, Feb. 10, support group is for “Things Come from 1-2 p.m. A selecanyone who is caring tion of colored pencils Apart: A Maker for another person, will be available, or par- Program� event long distance or close ticipants may bring their is happening by. By sharing with own. Cynthia Kling will again, this time each other, the caregivlead this fun and infor- on Saturday, ers find ways to care mative event. She will for themselves. talk a bit about color Feb. 27, from “Mid-Winter Crafts and the color wheel and 10:30-11:30 for Kids with Betsy� then distribute pages for a.m. in on Wednesday, Feb. people to color.

24, from 3:15-4:15 Sonia DeYoung will present a p.m. Children can make an overslideshow and talk, titled “River- sized snowman or snowflakes from walk,� on Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 7 paper. Materials will be provided. p.m. In July, DeYoung walked the Sign up by Friday, Feb. 12. length of the New Haven River from The library will a “Meet the Canheadwaters to confluence — about didates� night on Wednesday, Feb. 25 miles. Over six days she met wa- 24, at 7 p.m. in the Adult Reading tershed residents of all ages and pro- Area. Mark Mulqueen will host a fessions. They told her about their roundtable introduction of local lives along the river, invited her into folks who are running for office in their homes, and opened her eyes to Lincoln. Residents are invited to

put faces to names that will be on their ballots.

Also on Wednesday, Feb. 24, the library’s monthly book discussion group will meet at 7 p.m. in the Community Room. The group will be discussing “The Thing About December� by Donal Ryan. This book was a finalist for the Irish Book Awards and was the 2012 Irish Book of the Year.

And finally, the very popular “Things Come Apart: A Maker Program� event is happening again, this time on Saturday, Feb. 27, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Bob Lang and Mark Mulqueen will be on hand to help children and their parents, grandparents, etc., to take apart machines such as remotes, pencil sharpeners, coffee makers and more. Organizers only have room for nine more children, so families are advised sign up early or get on the waiting list. Sign up by Friday, Feb. 12.

To sign up for any of these programs or get more information, call the library at 453-2665 or email Debi at lincolnlibraryvt@gmail.com.

Community chorus new season on tap MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury College Community Chorus announces a new season to prepare

for its annual spring concert, slated for performance on campus on the afternoon of Mother’s Day, May 8.

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Board Member Spotlight Sara Marshall

“For years I have been in awe of the amazing things going on at the Parent-Child Center for the youth of Addison County. So when a chance to serve on the board came up, I jumped on it. Now that I’m on the board I realize I didn’t know the half of the services this organization offers young parents and families. From the childcare to the parenting education to the outreach and more, the center offers opportunities that would not otherwise be available to the county’s young parents. I’m proud to be a part of it!�

acpcc@sover.net • addisoncountypcc.org • 388-3171

Dining & Entertainment

TH E AT E R

Merchants Row Middlebury, VT Tickets: 802-382-9222

OWN HALL

www.townhalltheater.org

In the Jackson Gallery through March 5th

RETURN OF THE SPRING Featuring the work of Middlebury artist Yinglei Zhang, her mentor Mr. Li Xubai and her teacher Mr. Guo Ziyu.

Art talk and reception on Friday, February 12, 5-7pm.

Thu 2/11 8pm $12; Fri 2/12 & Sat 2/13 8pm & Sun 2/14 2pm $17

BLACK COMEDY & THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND Middlebury Community Players presents two hilarious short comedies.

Regular rehearsals are Tuesday and Sunday evenings from 7-8:30 p.m. in Mead Chapel, beginning Feb. 16.

This season’s program includes a mix of classical choruses alongside arrangements of traditional songs and new works. The choir will prepare the “Magnificat� by Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi. Its 10 sections contain a variety of choral styles, with dramatic shifts in textures and harmonies that bring life to the words of Mary, sung when she learned she would become the mother of the Messiah, according to the Gospel of Luke.

A portion of the program includes unique choral arrangements of lullabies from Africa; a new work by American composer Daniel Elder, simply titled “Lullaby�; and the beautiful “Seal Lullaby,� on a text

by Rudyard Kipling, by the noted contemporary composer Eric Whitacre.

The chorus welcomes the change of seasons and flowering of spring with a new setting of the classic Robert Burns text “A Red, Red Rose� by Nashville composer Kevin Memley; “Los Bilbilicos� (“The Nightingales�), a Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) Sephardic song arranged by distinguished Vermont conductor Robert De Cormier; “Enjura,� a Ugandan song that depicts the coming of the rains; a popular Israeli romantic song, “Erev Shel Shoshamin,� that tells how night falls slowly while the winds carry the scent of roses; and a brand new setting, by Wisconsin composer Zachary Moore, of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s text “There Is Sweet Music Here.�

Conductor Jeff Rehbach notes that this program will offer singers the opportunity to explore the music of a new generation of American composers — born between 1970 and 1992 — and their expressive writing for chorus and piano, as well as a variety of choral styles from across the globe. Rehbach continues in his 16th season as director of the College Community Chorus, and Timothy Guiles returns as the choir’s virtuoso accompanist.

The choir welcomes all interested singers to join the ensemble before the end of February. Participants should plan to attend at least one rehearsal each week. Numbering nearly 100 singers, the group is open without audition or mandatory fees to all singers who can follow a musical score. Its members travel from throughout the region to participate in this 150-year-old community tradition, hosted by Middlebury College.

For up-to-date information, check on the web at http://go.middlebury. edu/communitychorus or contact director Jeff Rehbach at 989-7355.

A Conversation with Tina Packer Tina Packer is one of the foremost authorities on bringing Shakespeare to life on stage.

Packer presents a lively and engaging talk followed by a workshop with the cast of Straight Up Shakespeare.

NEW HAVEN — This year marks the 75th anniversary of the “new� Beeman school building, which is located on North Street in New Haven village.

Beeman Academy opened in the fall of 1870. It was incorporated into the town school system in 1894, and finally leased to the New Haven school district in 1912. That same year, it was extensively renovated and expanded.

Sadly, on Oct. 28, 1940, the venerable Beeman Academy burned to the ground.

Residents quickly rallied. Temporary classes were held in the nearby town hall, as reconstruction work

Photo by Ridley Norton

‘Finest Hours’: all about the waves The Finest Hours; Running time: considered formality entirely at odds with the reality of the danger ahead.

1:57; Rating: PG-13 “The Finest Hours� is what hap- After the survivors are packed in the pens when Hollywood exults in new rescue boat, the storm intensifies and the boat takes on the look technology and overlooks of a Hawaiian surfer shootthe old-fashioned details. ing the curl of each mounIt is now possible to create tainous wave. It is an exan on-screen storm where traordinary sight confirmed wind-whipped waves roll by accounts of the legendwith a terrifying force that ary rescue. reduces ships to helpless What about those oldspecks and rivets appreciafashioned details? Bernie tive theater audiences to Webber is engaged to Mirtheir chairs. But when Holiam (Holliday Grainger), a lywood insists on inserting determined young woman frequent cuts to personal dressed for the storm in dramas, they dilute the a perfect ’50s print dress. spectacle that is unfolding

By Joan Ellis She confronts Officer Cluff so dramatically on-screen. with her demand that he The blizzard of 1952 order the small boat to rebroke two oil tankers in half, leaving 33 crew members turn to return to port. Her extended stranded on the sinking ship Pendle- car-stuck-in-the-snow scene is long ton. At a small Cape Cod Coast Guard and unnecessary. The sudden cuts station, Commanding Officer Daniel between the storm scenes and the Cluff (Eric Bana) assembles a crew on-shore drama cripple the tension to carve its way to the sinking ship we have been feeling at sea. Though in the only boat available — a small, Grainger does a good job with her role, personal entanglements are real vulnerable skiff.

Skippering the boat is Bernie Web- mood breakers given the disaster off ber (Chris Pine), a serious, capable shore.

This is just one of the current movsailor who makes his choices with a

Movie Review

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began. On Feb. 11, 1941, the cornerstone was laid for the new building. An addition was added in 1954, but the Beeman building has remained little changed over the years.

Students will commemorate the 75th anniversary with visits from alumni and New Haven Historical Society members. The New Haven school directors join the community in celebrating the rich traditions of Beeman Elementary School and the honored place it holds in the history of our town.

Editor’s note: This article was submitted by Brad Bull, chair of the Beeman Elementary School Board.

THE PEOPLE OF New Haven quickly regrouped after the Beeman Academy burned, and this February 1941 photo shows the current Beeman Elementary building under construction.

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Join Joel Najman as he spins the hits from the 60’s and dishes on the discography.

Beeman school fetes 75 years

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Sat 2/20 1pm Talk $10 2:20pm Workshop – FREE

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THIS ARCHIVE PHOTO shows the 69-year-old Beeman Academy in 1939, two years before it was destroyed by fire. The Beeman Elementary School building was rebuilt and this year celebrates its 75th anniversary.

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ies that recreate the 1950s — now seen as ancient history — with old cars, print dresses, high heels, dark red lipstick and cigarettes. I have yet to see a contemporary actor who knows how to smoke.

Another detail: the accents. The crew does its somewhat mixed best to sound like Cape Codders while Officer Cluff could be from another planet. The failed accent struggle is a laudable but misplaced effort to plant the action where it actually happened.

And the big one. Whenever the action shifts from the storm to conversations on the small boat, both characters and boat are virtually untouched by the sea that boils around them. The boat that is battered in outdoor shots becomes dining room still. Despite the jolting detours, credit Chris Pine and Holliday Grainger with creating strong characters and Casey Affleck with giving us Ray Sybert, a wise engineer who becomes a leader on the tanker deck and a welcome focus for the audience.

Be sure to stay for the credits that include photographs of the storm, the rescuers and those they saved. This movie is all about water. Just watch those waves.

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HAVING AN EVENT? Email it to: calendar@addisonindependent.com

Addison Independent, Thursday, February 11, 2016 — PAGE 13A

ANwSU

CHAMPLAIN VALLEY CHRISTIAN School students sit in Google shirts during an assembly last Friday morning to announce the Vermont winner of the Doodle 4 Google contest. Louis Provencher, a fifth-grader at the school, was the winner.

Independent photo/Trent Campbell

Google (Continued from Page 1A) This was the first year that the use of non-traditional media was encouraged in the Doodle 4 Google contest.

Google said a quarter of submissions used materials like clay, papier-mâchĂŠ, leaves and — citing Provencher’s work in its press release — picnic tables (part of a picnic table makes up a G in Provencher’s rendering of “Googleâ€?).

The theme of the contest was “What makes me ‌ me.â€?

Provencher’s fifth-grade art class was assigned the project. He said his favorite subjects are math, reading and physical education, but not art. “I don’t like drawing or painting, so, I’m like, what’s the easiest thing to do? Take pictures. OK,� he said.

Provencher also admitted his first instinct was to design something related to video games, but grandmother Wendy Provencher, with whom he lives while his mom serves in the U.S. Navy, vetoed that suggestion.

Louis then came up with the D.A.R. State Park along Lake Champlain in Addison, which he and his grandmother often visit in warmer weather. “I’m like, OK, but we’ve been taking nature walks at the D.A.R. Park.

Let’s do that,� he said.

Using his grandmother’s cell phone, they took pictures of objects that represented each of the letters, with some harder to find than others. “I was just skipping rocks, and I saw the tree, and I was like, hey, that one’s shaped like an L,� Provencher

said. “Then we found this big pile of leaves. And I just cleared out the area, dragged leaves, and made the first G out of leaves.�

The Os are a tree stump and a bird’s nest, the second G is the picnic table (which Provencher credits his grandmother for finding) and the E is the end of a stockade fence.

Provencher finished the project back at school. “Grandma sent the pictures to the art teacher, and I put those pictures into GoogleDocs and arranged them like they’re supposed to be,� he said.

He was not exactly confident in his project. “I just did it for the fun of it hoping I would win,� Provencher said. “I actually thought my piece was a piece of junk, kind of.�

Now he has a little more faith, and there are more prizes at stake.

The winning student and national finalists will travel to Mountain View, Calif., to meet and workshop with Google’s team of professional doodlers and see what it takes to launch a Doodle on the Google homepage. National finalists can also nominate a teacher who has inspired them to come along on the trip.

The national winner will take home a $30,000 college scholarship and his or her school will receive a $50,000 Google for Education grant toward the establishment and improvement of a computer lab or technology program.

The winners are determined by online voting at www.google.com/doo-

dle4google/vote.html. Voting will remain open until Feb. 22. Google will announce five national finalists and one of them as the national winner on March 21 — and the winner’s doodle will go live on Google.com that day.

Champlain Valley Christian School is already a winner — Google rewarded it with $2,500 of art supplies and T-shirts at Friday’s assembly.

As far as his chances in the next round, Provencher knows the odds are better now than they were when his entry was one in 100,000. “There are like 10 in my age group,� he said. “And if I win my age group, I’m going to be going against the age groups combined, and I’m not sure about that, because there are actually some really nice ones in the 10th through 12th grade.�

Provencher said his mom will alert her shipmates, while his grandmother has a friend “who has friends all over the world.�

Plus, he said, “Everyone at the school knows me, and they can tell their family members, and their family members can spread it out from there and it can get bigger and bigger,� he said, adding, “I’m actually kind of famous on Facebook, too.�

Editor’s note: Read this story online at addisonindependent.com and there will be a link to the page where you can vote for your favorite doodles.

Andy Kirkaldy may be reached at andyk@addisonindependent.com.

By the way (Continued from Page 1A) one former local teen posted impressive performances in the winter sport of luge at last weekend’s Junior World Championships in Winterberg, Germany. Gracie Weinberg, formerly of Middlebury and currently a Pittsfield resident, was part of an American quartet that earned a silver medal in the team luge relay competition, beating top competition from Austria and Russia. Representing the American Junior Men’s luge team, New Haven teen Elijah Pedriani earned 18th place with a run of 1:47.780 down the icy track.

Want to be inspired by the creativity of budding artisans in Addison County? Art on Main in Bristol is featuring student work from the Bristol Clay Studio through the month of February.

The show is free and open to the public. Art on Main, 25 Main St., Bristol, is open Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

This is the last weekend you can have your duck blind out on the ice of Lake Champlain. State fish and wildlife officials are reminding Vermont waterfowl hunters who did not remove their hunting blinds from the waters of the state earlier must do so before Feb. 15 on Lake Champlain or May 15 on inland waters. State law requires removal of the blinds before these deadlines in order to protect natural areas and to prevent boating accidents after the ice melts.

Officials said wardens have recorded names and addresses of blind owners and will follow up with inspections.

Funding is now available for new or existing projects, programs, and organizations that serve lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) communities in Vermont through the Samara Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation. The Samara Fund’s mission is to help create a vibrant

Vermont LGBTQ community and ensure that LGBTQ Vermonters are connected, healthy, appreciated, safe and empowered. Nonprofits may apply at any time for up to $5,000; applications will be accepted through April 1. Visit vermontcf.org/samara to learn more.

The Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce has announced that it is accepting applications for its LaunchVT business pitch competition and that its new endeavor, LaunchVT Collegiate, is giving Vermont college students a chance to win $7,500 in cash to grow their business. One goal of the new collegiate competition is to seed more new businesses to employ more young people right here in the Green Mountain State. The existing business pitch competition will award more than $80,000 in cash and prizes to two winners in May. For more information on both competitions visit www.launchvt.com.

(Continued from Page 1A) $1.67, seven-tenths of a cent lower dredths of a cent to $1.5745. law’s per-pupil penalties, ANwSU than the current rate of $1.677.

The city’s CLA of 103.35 percent Superintendent JoAn Canning said loFerrisburgh’s CLA of 104.72 per- is helping keep the city’s school tax cal town reports had to be printed and cent is helping lower the rate. rate in check. mailed out based on old information.

The Ferrisburgh Central School Vergennes sends its students to Officials had to publish board adopted a VUHS and VUES. rates under the assump$3,432,273 budget that WALTHAM tion of no changes being cuts almost $155,000 Only in Waltham, which also sends made to Act 46, Canning from the school’s current its students to VUHS and VUES, are said, and thus the reports spending level. It would taxes projected to increase. contain higher — and inhave been $28,000 over ANwSU projects the residenaccurate — tax rate estithe original Act 46 per- tial rate to rise by 15.1 cents, from mates that now should be pupil spending thresh- $1.5822 to $1.7323. disregarded. old; board members said That increase would be by about One reason the rates they believed lawmak- 9.5 percent. are lower is because of ers were going to make Waltham’s CLA stands at 94.06 the uncertainty surroundat least the 0.9 percent percent. Without the upward presing Act 46. ANwSU ad- “I’m ecstatic hike in the threshold that sure from the CLA, Waltham’s tax ministrators and board would allow them to add hike would be closer to 5 cents. members worked hard to to bring these in that $28,000.

Even with the exception in minimize the law’s origi- numbers to the PANTON Waltham, Canning believes the numnal penalties, which all taxpayers.�

Panton’s total resi- bers show a solid future for ANwSU, three ANwSU elementa- — Superintendent dential school tax rate especially if voters back unification, ry school spending plans JoAn Canning is now projected to be which she said will bring both finanavoided. $1.5142, which is 7.41 cial and educational benefits. She notBut the VUHS board found it im- cents lower than the current rate of ed also that the Legislature repealed possible to avoid penalty territory. $1.5883.

Act 46 spending threshold penalties The school is still dealing with a Panton’s CLA of 109.1 percent is for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. major deficit from a failure in ear- helping lower the rate. “I think that we’re going to be on lier years to properly account for As well as VUHS, Panton sends the right track,� Canning said. “If special education spending, costing students to Vergennes Union El- we can get through unification and $254,000 in the proposed budget of ementary School. The VUES board get through this year, they have reroughly $10 million; a drop in the adopted a $4.75 million budget that pealed the caps for (fiscal year) ’18, number of its equalized pupils, per would increase VUES spending by so I think that we have the potential state calculations; and a decrease of 1.05 percent, or about $50,000. of building some long-range strategy the school’s state contributions for VERGENNES around really continuing with high special education costs, a factor that The Vergennes residential tax rate quality programs and keeping the also drives per-pupil costs higher. is projected to be virtually identical cost down.�

The impact of the VUHS budget to this year’s rate: ANwSU officials Andy Kirkaldy may be reached at was softened in ANwSU, however, expect it to increase by seven-hun- andyk@addisonindependent.com. when lawmakers finally agreed to reduce the dollar-for-dollar tax penalty for over-the-threshold per pupil spending to 40 cents, and raised the threshold by 0.9 percent.

Those changes, combined with frugal ANwSU elementary spending, brought better news for district residents, Canning said. “I’m ecstatic to bring these numbers to the taxpayers,� Canning said.

Meanwhile, she said, even after administrators and board members were making tough decisions on budgets, they still preserved essential programs and positions. “We went through an excruciating process. We still had to make some reductions. But I think our schools are very viable,� Canning said.

The estimates assume all four ANwSU budgets pass as proposed, including the roughly $10 million VUHS budget, an additional $100,000 capital fund article, and )FBUJOH t 1MVNCJOH t "JS $POEJUJPOJOH $734,000 for the Hannaford Career 3&4*%&/5*"- $0..&3$*"Center. The VUHS budget itself reduced spending by 2.23 percent, but not enough to avoid completely Act 46 penalties.

CLA numbers were provided by Make your appointment NOW! the ANwSU office.

UP IBWF ZPVS GVSOBODF BOE ANwSU unification, if it also passes on March 1, will trigger a 10CPJMFS TFSWJDFE "/% 1MVNCJOH cent tax break on residents’ tax bills, GPS OFX GVSOBODF BOE 4FSWJDFT but not until the 2017-2018 school year. The following tax rates are for CPJMFS JOTUBMMBUJPOT 5SPVCMF 4IPPU t the 2016-2017 fiscal and school year.

4FSWJDF t ADDISON /FX 1MVNCJOH t Addison’s total residential school )FBUJOH *OTUBMMBUJPOT tax rate is now projected to be $1.5889 per $100 of assessed propt )FBUJOH 4ZTUFN 4FSWJDFT t )PNF 8FBUIFSJ[BUJPO erty value. That is 9.09 cents lower t /BUVSBM (BT 1SPQBOF $FSUJmFE than the current rate of $1.6798. t "JS $POEJUJPOJOH 4FSWJDJOH *OTUBMMBUJPOT Addison’s CLA of 109.6 percent (meaning that properties are assessed M-F 7am - 4pm, Sat 8-noon at 9.6 percent above fair market) is 24/7 Pager Service helping lower the rate.

The Addison Central School board 3PVUF 4PVUI t .JEEMFCVSZ 75 t on Jan. 21 adopted a $1,606,375 spending plan proposal that would make few changes to school programs and would raise spending by 4.12 percent, or about $63,000.

That increase is almost entirely driven by an expected hike of roughly 8 percent in health insurance benefits and contracted raises, officials said.

The board voted to use $100,000 of a projected fund balance from the end of the current school year to keep spending under the original dollarfor-dollar Act 46 penalty threshold.

FERRISBURGH Ferrisburgh’s total residential school tax rate is now projected to be

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PAGE 14A — Addison Independent, Thursday, February 11, 2016

MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE SENIORS donned their academic regalia on Saturday for the annual “Feb” graduation ski down ceremony at the Snow Bowl in Hancock. The college said 124 students skied, snowboarded and walked down the Lang trail and were greeted at the bottom by college President Laurie Patton, below, and her two Great White Pyrenees dogs.

Courtesy photos by Todd Balfour

Grads (Continued from Page 1A) graduates — varsity athletes, Solar Decathlon leaders, an Olympian, filmmakers, musicians, artists, language scholars, architects, teachers, political activists, to name a few.

“And here is the part that is much harder sometimes for the world to see,” Patton said. “You have fragmented, come apart and then become whole again. You wouldn’t be here with us, flying in leafless winter, if you had not struggled — if you had not come apart and then become whole again. Don’t ever forget those moments even though they might be difficult to remember.”

Earlier in the ceremony, student speaker Rebecca Goodman, a film and media culture major from New York City, gave the student address to her classmates. In her talk, titled, “Spending Time with Your Selfie,” Goodman mused about the irony of living in a “selfie” culture while failing to achieve self-understanding.

The astounding technology that students love, she said, can also lead us to disconnect from our selves.

“As egocentric as our society asks us to be, we don’t actually have to spend time with ourselves,” said Goodman. “There’s constant distraction; constant conversation and communication.” Ultimately, she noted, “the person who you’ll always end up with is you. Which means that you have to be friends with yourself … or at least you two should be on fairly good terms.”

Goodman, whose speech was sprinkled with self-effacing humor, said the most important thing she gained at Middlebury was a better friendship with herself. Her first two years of college were tough, she said. “As much as I wanted to blame it on my surroundings, a lot of that badness came from the barrier I put up between me and myself. The best times of my life came after I made the effort to really get to know myself.”

As parting advice to her classmates — and perhaps to all students — Goodman urged them to “put away your phone and computer and just sit there with the person you are. Take some time to befriend yourself, the one deep down, the one who will stick with you ’till your dying days.”

Then, unable to resist, Goodman grabbed her phone turned her back to her classmates and snapped a selfie to their roaring approval.

Katy Smith Abbott, vice president of student affairs and dean of the college, presented the Jason B. Fleishman ’03.5 Award to Caitlin Duffy, a theater major from Morristown, Vt. The award, named in memory of Fleishman who died

shortly after his Feb Celebration in 2004, honors the Feb spirit of pride, academic passion and determination, excellence in leadership, positive attitude and care for others.

Each senior was called to the stage by Smith Abbott to receive a replica of Gamaliel Painter’s cane, a historic symbol of Middlebury College, handed to them by Wendy Russell Tracy ’95, vice president of the Middlebury College Alumni Association. The Febs then sang the traditional “Gamaliel Painter’s Cane,” led by their classmate Hannah Johnston.

The 2016 February Celebration continued at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl in Hancock, where members of the class participated in the traditional “ski down” in their academic regalia. On snowboards, skis, snowshoes and foot, the graduates descended the Lang trail, crossing over to Cameron, which took them to the cheering crowd below in one of Middlebury’s most cherished traditions.

Editor’s note: This story was provided by Middlebury College with reporting by Stephen Diehl.

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Addison Independent, Thursday, February 11, 2016 — PAGE 15A

Spirit in Nature to hold annual meeting Feb. 21 RIPTON/MIDDLEBURY — Spirit in Nature, a local nonprofit that has developed a series of “interfaith nature paths� on 75 acres of Middlebury College land in Ripton, will hold its annual meeting on Sunday, Feb. 21, at 4 p.m. in the Ilsley Library downstairs conference room.

After a very short business meeting, the time will be devoted to the presentation of two awards termed “Eco-Spirit.� The citation reads: “The Eco-Spirit Award is presented annually to persons whose lives are illuminated by their appreciation of the beauty, mystery, and preciousness of the natural world. They are dynamic role models who engage us in debate, and urge us to explore the implications of our behavior during our present global environmental crisis. They lead us to a path of hope for the future of all life and nature on earth.� Bill McKibben was the first recipient in 2001.

This year for the first time, the award goes to an organization rather than an individual, the Sunday Night Group at Middlebury College. Started by Bill McKibben and some Middlebury College students in 2005, the group successfully advocated for the college to go carbonneutral by 2015 and has continued a climate activist presence related to a number of environmental issues including the Keystone Pipeline that President Obama recently decided against. The SNG meets at 9 p.m. every Sunday night that the college is in session, hence the name.

Three years after the founding of the Sunday Night Group, SNG alumni, along with Bill McKibben, founded 350.org, the international climate activist group that is

Bypass

partially staffed by SNG alumni.

The Sunday Night Group has been active for over 10 years at the college, in the community and elsewhere like Washington, D.C., vigorously promoting environmental awareness and rallying support for earth-friendly policies, actions and lifestyles.

Middlebury Professor of Economics Jon Isham attended the 10-year celebration/reunion of the SNG held at the college last year. “What I can do as a faculty member is provide a certain kind of support just by encouraging them to try things and not get frustrated,� Isham said. “But the best part of SNG is not only that its 100-percent student conceived, but it remains 100-percent student run.

And that’s exactly one of the many reasons it’s so effective. I guarantee you some of these ideas will see fruition,� he added.

Diane Monroe, faculty in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College, will present the award and Bill McKibben will make brief remarks via video recording.

This year an additional Eco-Spirit Award will be presented posthumously to Alex Wylie who died of ALS in November. Wylie worked for many years with the Vermont Land Trust conserving farm land.

She was involved in conserving over 750 farms totaling over 200,000 acres. Al Karnatz of the Vermont Land Trust, a long-time colleague of Wylie’s, will present the award. The monetary award will go to the ALS Research Fund at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

The meeting is open to the public and all are invited. Refreshments will be served.

(Continued from Page 1A) Commissioner Richard Tetreault and Planning and Research Director Joe Segale, plus Addison County Regional Planning Executive Director Adam Lougee, at the city police station on Jan. 28 to go over those issues.

No immediate action is expected, especially with the March 1 vote on tap. “They read the proposal. They got it. They know the concerns,�

Benton said.

BOARDS WEIGH IN In the meantime, the preliminary proposal has received a frosty reception elsewhere.

At a January Ferrisburgh selectboard meeting, two of four board members in attendance stated opposition, and the other two adopted a wait-and-see attitude.

Selectmen Jim Warden and Jim Benoit said the intersections of Route 7 with New Haven Road and Monkton Road would be dangerous with the extra trucks, and the fact that trucks carrying hazardous materials would have to stop at the railroad tracks outside Vergennes would back up traffic. Warden called the proposal “a nightmare.�

New Haven selectmen in early January agreed to write a letter opposing the proposal. That document is currently under legal review and unavailable, according to town officials.

Selectboard Chairwoman Kathy Barrett said this week selectboard members are concerned about the narrow and deteriorating Route 17 bridge over Otter Creek near the fairgrounds; the intersection of Routes 17 and 7, where trucks pulling out would obstruct traffic and pose a hazard; and in general the

curves and hills on Route 17. trucks per day now use Route 17, On Feb. 2, the Addison select- acknowledged many of those conboard voted “to either add our cerns in a response to that letter, name or copy the (New Haven) also published in the Independent. transportation letter regarding Ver“This proposal will need to meet gennes and the Route 17 bypass.â€? local and state criteria and safety Board members also reviewed at and technical transportation retheir January meeting a quirements. Certainly, letter written by Addison there are drawbacks residents Jeff Nelson and “Supporting concerning intersecPaul Mahan and pub- our proposal tions, grades and bridge lished in the Independent are numerous adequacy, but this route raising a number of con- studies over has served thousands cerns with the proposal, of trucks over decades a period of notably including: without serious inci• The difficulty trucks 20 years that dent,â€? he wrote. driving north on Route conclude that “Important issues will 22A would have turning truck traffic have to be dealt with aconto Route 17 without in downtown cording to current transblocking traffic and cre- Vergennes portation specifications ating a hazard.

by VTrans. However, • The steep grades is unsafe, this is only a one-way along Route 17 East, has noxious truck route. The costs which they wrote “equal effects and of these necessary upor exceed the 10 percent is damaging grades should be congradeâ€? in Vergennes near to the local siderably less than other the bridge. alternatives.â€? economy.â€? • The condition of the Benton urged other — Mayor communities to considRoute 17 bridge over OtBill Benton er sharing some of the ter Creek Bridge, and its narrowness, which they 800-truck-per-day bursaid would pose a hazard to on- den that Vergennes now shoulders coming traffic. alone. • The danger posed by curves, “The city of Vergennes is not intersections (including with Hal- asking for a two-way bypass that lock Road in New Haven), and ar- shunts all truck traffic through Adeas with limited sight distances on dison, Waltham and New Haven,â€?

Route 17. he wrote. “It is very important to • The impacts to the Addison note that we are willing to host our County Fair and Field Days and fair share of trucks. Supporting our other events at that site. proposal are numerous studies over • The problems at the intersec- a period of 20 years that conclude tion of Routes 17 and 7. that truck traffic in downtown Ver• The fact that Route 22A has gennes is unsafe, has noxious efbeen designated and improved as a fects and is damaging to the local truck route. economy.â€?

Benton, who said this week NOTHING SOON that VTrans officials told him 80 If the proposal ever becomes a

reality, it will not be soon: Benton said he was told if everything went perfectly, a three-to-five year timetable was possible.

There is precedent for such a bypass. Benton said he knew of one near Morrisville, but Tetreault and Segale said in fact another one that routed trucks around Newport through Coventry was actually more similar. “They said it’s essentially on a different state route, and it works,�

Benton said.

The VTrans officials also told Benton that Vergennes needed backing, and made no promises when they met with him last month.

They had seen the Nelson/Mahan letter, Benton said, and knew not all would be smooth sailing. “They said you’re going to need to garner some support, and you’re going to need to get on a schedule somehow if this is going to work at all, and we would obviously need to do a lot more research,� Benton said. “There was nothing definitive coming out of it.�

Benton said the next step would be to wait and see how Vergennes residents felt, and if that goes well at some point he will also sit down with local selectboards and try to present a fuller, two-sided picture.

Benton was asked if he thought before then it would be helpful if other towns’ officials spent 15 minutes on the city’s Main Street. “That would be a good start, for sure. It was pretty ironic. We were having our meeting in the police station, and the windows were all closed and the doors were all closed, and Joe (Segale) goes, ‘God, there are a lot of trucks going by here,’� Benton said. “Yeah, this is what it’s about.�

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PAGE 16A — Addison Independent, Thursday, February 11, 2016

Cheese (Continued from Page 1A) eral lawmakers (including the entire Vermont congressional delegation), the FDA on Monday announced that it would “re-evaluate its criteria” and that it “is in the process of pausing its testing program for non-toxigenic E. coli in cheese.”

This “pause” brings good news to those Addison County farmstead cheesemakers whose lines of products include raw milk cheeses.

Bivins explained that about 32 of the Cheese Council’s 48 members statewide make raw milk cheese.

“Those cheeses that are soft-ripened and washed rind cheeses aged at least 60 days are the most vulnerable,” he aid. That’s “about 25 different types of cheese — sheep, goat and cow.”

E. COLI, FRIEND AND FOE While the very mention of “E. coli” is enough to frighten most consumers, not all microbes are alike, explained award-winning cheesemaker Michael Lee of Twig Farm.

The pathogen that is infamously responsible for virulent outbreaks of food poisoning when found in spinach and hamburger is a particular strain of bacteria called E. coli 0157:H7. But the FDA regulation is aimed at generic non-toxigenic E. coli, which are part of the natural microbial process that nature employs in the making of such classic raw milk cheeses as Parmigiano-Reggiano and Roquefort.

In fact, says Lee, the non-toxigenic E. coli are part of what gives many raw milk cheeses their distinctive smells, textures and flavors. Moreover, says Lee, while the FDA’s insistence on lowering non-toxigenic E. coli levels in raw milk cheeses won’t make food safer, it will detract from the kinds of animal health and hygiene, production and storage measures that artisanal cheesemakers must implement every day to ensure a quality product.

“We’re up to our eyeballs in preventative food safety,” said Lee. “Raw milk cheese is the way that cheese has traditionally been made since people started making cheese, and it’s generally safe, especially in aged raw milk cheese, because there are beneficial bacteria that will essentially eat all of the sugar and the milk in the process of cheese making,” Lee added, explaining how

food safety issues differ between raw milk cheeses and those made from pasteurized milk. “Then the cheese is aged and in this way it prevents harmful bacteria from growing.

“That’s the reason why raw milk cheese is not a high-risk food.

Whereas with raw milk there’s been no steps taken to preserve that milk other than refrigeration. But that’s why people make cheese. You have milk and you want to preserve it and you want to find a way to make it safe to have in the future.”

University of Vermont food scientist Catherine Donnelly agrees that the FDA’s change on E. coli is bad policy.

Donnelly is an internationally recognized expert on microbiological food safety, much of whose work and research has centered on artisanal cheese production. For over a decade, Donnelly headed the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese, which was based at UVM and offered workshops and advice on researchbased food safety practices to the state’s small-scale cheese producers. Although the institute closed its doors in 2013, Donnelly’s research continues to inform Vermont’s and the nation’s small-scale cheesemakers on best practices.

“There’s no scientific justification for the FDA’s change from 10,000 to 10 (MPN per gram),” said Donnelly. “So that begs the question, is this public health or is this politics?”

Donnelly points out that one of the effects of the new FDA E. coli standards is to restrict the import and sale of European cheeses, which must now meet the U.S. standards.

She explained that the new FDA regulations treat cheese made from raw milk the same as cheeses made from pasteurized milk, and that this is at odds with the science behind making the two products. Because pasteurization kills E. coli bacteria, its presence in significant numbers in cheeses made from pasteurized milk indicates some flaw in the production process. But those same microbes are in fact an integral part of making cheeses from raw milk.

“When you look at generic E. coli — that’s what non-toxigenic E. coli are — they’re organisms we find everywhere. They reside in our gut.

And they can be found regularly in raw milk cheeses,” said Donnelly.

MIKE LEE STANDS in his Twig Farm cheese cellar with a variety of aging cheeses last Friday morning. Like others who make cheese with raw milk, Lee questions a proposed change in FDA regulations.

Independent photo/Trent Campbell

The International Commission on the Microbiological Specifications for Food doesn’t recommend testing for E. coli, she pointed out, because the organization says in certain cheeses E. coli can be considered a characteristic part of the cheese flora.

Food safety in artisanal cheeses, explained Donnelly, is built around good farm practices, like having healthy animals that produce good quality milk, a clean environment and clean equipment for milking and making cheese, and a scientific approach to cheese storage that encourages good microbes and discourages bad ones. And because farmstead cheesemakers typically use milk from their own herds, food safety isn’t complicated by transport or storage issues.

At the Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op, raw milk cheeses are an especially popular item, says cheese buyer Wendy Stewart.

“We have a hard time keeping them on the shelf,” said Stewart.

The co-op carries raw milk cheese

from Europe and from around Vermont and Addison County. Stewart pointed out that, in addition to the local cheesemakers, many local dairies supply raw milk to Organic Valley for its raw milk mild and sharp cheddars. Additionally, Stewart noted, in Vermont all cheese made from raw milk must be aged more than two months. Any cheese aged less than two months must be made with pasteurized milk.

CONGRESSIONAL AND OTHER ACTION Twenty-four members of Congress sent a letter questioning the scientific basis of the FDA’s new standards to FDA Deputy Commissioner Michael Taylor. It also asked that the agency listen to feedback from cheese producers and questioned the public health value of the regulations and whether the new standard was adopted in an open and transparent way.

“The new standard will severely limit the production of raw milk cheeses across the country,” the letter said. “Such a drastic step would

only be justified were these cheeses presenting a demonstrable public health risk, which, to date, we have not seen evidence of.”

The FDA’s answer to that letter and to protests from cheesemakers nationwide, received in Welch’s office this past Monday, stated that the agency would pause its non-toxigenic E. coli testing program and that it would continue its “already very productive dialogue with the ACS (American Cheese Society) and other cheese industry stakeholders to benefit from their expertise about safe cheese-making practices and achieve our mutual goal of food safety.”

“The FDA has done the right thing by calling a timeout in its testing program,” Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said in an email to the Independent. “It is essential that they get this right. A failure to do so will have enormous consequences for Vermont’s artisan cheesemakers and could do irreparable harm to this growing sector of the state’s economy. In order to get it right, the agency must be transparent

in its process, listen carefully to the concerns of the artisan cheese community, and work collaboratively with all parties on a solution that protects consumers without harming these vital small businesses.”

The FDA scheduled a “listening session” for Thursday, Feb. 11, with American Cheese Society representatives and artisanal cheesemakers from across the country, including Vermont cheesemakers Mateo Kehler, of Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro Bend and Jeremy Stephenson, of Spring Brook Farm in Reading.

But although the FDA has announced that it “is in the process of pausing its testing program for nontoxigenic E. coli in cheese,” the new regulations still remain on the books, noted UVM’s Donnelly. And, she said, the economic impact of the new standards could still take a bite out of Vermont’s agricultural economy if not reversed entirely.

Reporter Gaen Murphree is at gaenm@addisonindependent.com.

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